2012 LJWC ATTENDEE WELCOME PACKET

Transcription

1 2012 LJWC ATTENDEE WELCOME PACKET (Information subject to change) Dear LJWC Attendee: We are delighted to welcome you to the 2012 La Jolla Writer s Conference held this year at Paradise Pointe Resort & Spa (1404 Vacation Road, San Diego, CA 92109), November 2-4, Registration begins at noon on Friday in Execute Suite 713. Please read this letter thoroughly as it is intended as an orientation to afford you the best possible experience. Enclosed in this welcome packet you will find the following: Welcome Orientation Letter Full Conference Schedule Faculty Glossary Private Read & Critique Schedule Facility Map Please print and bring this packet of information with you or download it to your phone or tablet as additional printed materials will NOT be available on site. All classes will be taught in the Executive Suites 701, 703, 705, 707, 709, and 711. All of the classrooms and conference central/bookstore are located in a secluded, half-moon shaped area with private patios and grass quad. Upon arrival at the hotel, you will need to come to Executive Room 713 (Conference Central) to pick up your name tag, meal tickets, and to check in. If you get to the property and cannot find your way, simply ask a hotel staff member to point you in the direction of the Executive Suites. Your name tag is your conference pass for the weekend and must be worn at all times. Conference Central (room 713) will be regularly occupied by a conference representative to answer any questions you may have and to post occasional schedule changes or other announcements. Our sponsors and the bookstore will also be located in this room. We have arranged to have faculty authored/recommended books (along with books of some of our published attendees) available for sale throughout the duration of the conference. Certainly don t be shy about asking a faculty member to sign a copy of their book. As the entire property is set up resort-style (spread out and a bit confusing) I have enclosed a map to help you find us. Presumably, there will also be signs pointing you in our direction. Worst case scenario, go to the lobby or conference central and someone will be happy to assist you. As noted on the schedule, classes are set up in lecture and workshop formats. The 50-minute lecture classes are just that a lecture with potential Q & A towards the end. Workshop classes run for one hour and fifty minutes and generally encourage/require class participation and the teachers often want attendees to bring some of their writing to class. We recommend bringing your writing to every class, though there is no need to bring copies to share. However, even if you do not have writing to share, this should NOT discourage you from attending as the class will still be a great learning experience. In an effort to reduce classroom congestion, we have also arranged a maximum of 30 chairs to be placed in the main meeting area of each classroom. For participation-driven classes, such a group read and critiques, the first people in each class will be treated as active participants. While addition attendees are welcome to attend the session, only the first people will have an opportunity to actively participate. Since we have increased the number of classes per block period and repeated multiple group read and critique classes, having an opportunity to actively participate should not be an issue and the class sizes should be reasonable. Please note that there is no need to pre-register for any classes. You simply pick the class that most interests you during any given block period and go! With 5-6 classes per session and approximately 80 total classes from which to choose over the three days, we understand that you can t be in two places at once. Thus, we are once again recording most of our lecture classes and making them available for sale at very reasonable rate. Please visit un online or swing by conference central to order your copy. For those of you participating in private read & critique sessions, please meet your faculty member at Executive Room 713 (Conference Central) five minutes before your schedule meeting time. Please keep in mind that you have twenty minutes to meet with the faculty member and that he or she often has another private session just before and/or after yours, so please be on time. Please also remember that your faculty reader is only obligated to have read and critiqued the first 12 pages of your submission. If your faculty member is a few minutes late getting to you, not to worry, you will still get your twenty minutes. Please also feel free to go to class before your session and return after your session.

2 In an effort to include as many blocks of classes as possible, we have limited break time in between classes and have kept our meal breaks to a reasonable time. Due the short nature of your lunch break on Sunday, if you plan to eat on site, I hugely recommend that you order your meal ahead of time. Barefoot Bar & Grill is the onsite daytime restaurant and meal prices are quite reasonable even for a hotel! REMINDERS: Restrooms are located in the back of all the classrooms and conference central. Coffee and other food and refreshments to go are available through the hotel at the Barefoot Bar & Grill from 7:00AM-10:00PM, as well as the coffee cart located next to the resort shop. Friday night cocktail hour, welcoming remarks, and keynote address from Jacquelyn Mitchard will be from 5:00 to 6:45pm in Sunset Rooms 1-3, located on the bayside of the convention center building. Saturday lunch/keynote address from Tess Gerritsen will be from 12:00 to 1:15pm in the Mission Bay Room. A book signing with our faculty members will take place from 6:30 to 7:30pm on Saturday night, preceding dinner, in the Mission Bay Room. The bookstore will be on hand to sell a selection of books. Dinner and keynote address from James Rollins will follow from 7:30 to 8:45PM in the Mission Bay Room. Various faculty members will be taking turns group-hosting the seven-minute pitch sessions. Sign ups for the 7-minute pitch sessions will begin at on Saturday morning at 6:45am in Room 713. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be made in person by the participating individual. For the session, each participant will be assigned a private 7-minute period to present their book idea. These sessions are closed to the public. Only one session per attendee, please. Attendees should be prepared to spend the first 3 minutes providing a description of their book, identifying their target market, and explaining why their project is unique. The last 4 minutes should be left for feedback. You are welcome to attend and return to a class around your 7-minute session. Both the class schedule and private read & critique schedule are subject to change. Any changes will be posted in Conference Central and announced at the banquets. On a special note for those of you new to our conference, and as a reminder to those of you attending, this is a completely noncommercial conference. While of our faculty members are experts in the fields to which they will be teaching and, thus, do it professionally, every single faculty and staff member you will learn from, talk to, and benefit from is volunteering their time for the weekend. It is simply their way of giving back to you as members of the writing community. There is no up-selling. There are no gauntlets of sponsor booths. Our goal is to create a nurturing atmosphere where no question goes unanswered and to have you leave the weekend overloaded with information and inspiration. As such, we expect the same from our attendees. This conference is not intended as a means to solicit business for either our faculty or our attendees. We ask that you respect this policy and understand that violation of this negatively affects the entire conference and may result in ejection. A lot of thought, time, and energy goes into planning this conference. But, its success is a result of you and our faculty. The dedication, knowledge, and inspiration they bring is greatly appreciated by us, and more importantly, a tremendous gift to you. We encourage you to take full advantage of their generosity and be ready to reciprocate it with enthusiasm and participation. We look forward to another great year! For more information, check out the website at or feel free to contact me. Best, Jared Kuritz Director La Jolla Writers Conference 2

3 2012 LA JOLLA WRITERS CONFERENCE CLASS SCHEDULE Friday, November 2 Sunday, November 4, 2012 Paradise Point Resort & Spa CONFERENCE CHECK-IN, BOOKSTORE & CONFERENCE CENTRAL ARE IN EXECUTIVE SUITE 713. CHECK-IN BEGINS AT NOON OF FRIDAY. (SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.) FRIDAY 1:00 1:50PM LECTURE BLOCK 701 Andrea Cavallaro 703 Peggy Lang, Memoir, Creative Non- 705 Kristen Lamb Suzie Townsend 711 Jesse Kellerman, Theater What To Expect When Your Book Is Signed? Discussion of what to expect from your publisher and/or agent once your book is signed. What rights should you retain? What kind of marketing will you get? What kind of money, and when will it come? How to handle e-book rights? Etc. Power Dynamics In A Scene. In addition to opposing worldviews and agendas, the struggle of opposing wills, the face-off of egos, the emotional tug-of-war--all impact the subtle tension as well as the overt conflict in a scene. Let's work on how you can enhance your character's conflict in terms of the plays, ploys, and tics of power. Rise Of The Digital Age. The publishing paradigm is changing faster than any of us can keep up. The Digital Age has opened up all kinds of opportunities, but with new opportunity comes increased competition. How can a writer stand out in a sea of published authors? What advantages does technology offer? What are the time-wasters? How can writers use technology to build a career for a lifetime? How To Pitch An Agent? Learn the right way to pitch an agent your work and have them remember you after the conference is over. Crafting Memorable Dialogue. Good dialogue can bring a story to life; bad dialogue can kill it. We'll discuss my four R's of writing dialogue and look at some examples of what to do (and what to avoid) to make sure your characters snap, crackle, and pop. FRIDAY 2:00 3:50PM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Mike Sirota All 703 Peggy Lang, Memoir, Creative Non- 705 Antoinette Kuritz 707 Warren Lewis, Screenwriting 709 Kristen Lamb 711 Jesse Kellerman "Hook 'Em & Hold 'Em". Agents say: "If I like the first sentence, I'll read the first paragraph. If I like the first paragraph, I'll read the first page." Learn how to create a powerful opening "hook" and keep them turning pages. Bring your own hook to the workshop to see if it measures up. Spellbinding Basics. The essentials of scene dynamics every writer should know and other tips in writing spellbinding prose. Bring a scene you want to work on. How To Identify & Get Effective PR? Some might say that there is no such thing as bad press. But the reality is that some PR is far more effective and better suited for your goals than others. This class will work with attendees to understand how to identify the type of PR that would be ideal for their individual projects and then discuss how to garner it. Characters Made For The Screen. What compelling traits make a character steel every scene he or she is in and dominate the overall reading and viewing experience? This class will look at some of the most memorable characters and discuss what makes them so compelling and how to translate those principles into your characters. Creating Your Author Blog 1: Content. This workshop explores what I call High Concept Blogging, a technique I created to help writers create a blog that hooks readers emotionally. Blogging articles, interviews and reviews, for a fiction author, is a waste of time. That content connects on the left side of the human brain. Yet, fiction is emotional. Why so many writers fail at blogging is they are trying to sell a right brain product with a left brain tool. They are also not operating in their strengths (or they would be NF authors). This workshop will help participants hone in on that special emotive core that will create a lasting platform of fans (who BUY books). Even NF authors will benefit from this class because the most powerful selling tool in the history of humanity is EMOTION. Emotion and community is what will create a loyal following that will grow organically with your career. Openings. So much depends on first impressions. Participants will be expected to bring in the first three pages of their story or novel so we can discuss how to make the hooks hookier and the writing sing. 3

4 FRIDAY 4:00-4:50PM LECTURE BLOCK 701 Andrea Cavallaro 703 Vernor Vinge Science 705 Dean Nelson 707 Lissa Price Young Adult, Middle Grade Foreign and Film Rights. Ins and outs of translation and movie rights from 20 year Subsidiary Rights veteran. Details of process and terminology. Writing Hard Science. How to write about science you do know. How to write about science you don't know. The lessons of Kipling and Heinlein. Advice From The Greats. After 17 years of interviewing some of the country's greatest writers for the annual Writer's Symposium By the Sea, Dean Nelson has compiled some recurring themes in what it takes to write well. Practical and inspiring, this will show you what the greats do to be great. Writing & Selling The YA Novel. Last year, I was an unpublished writer going to conferences. This year, Random House Children s Books, Delacorte published my debut, a YA futuristic thriller called STARTERS, which is published in over 22 countries. From the point of view of someone who has just recently leapt over the publishing hurdle, what are the best things a YA/MG writer can do that will lead them closer to publication? And what do you do after you sign the contract? I'll draw upon not only my recent experience, but also those of a group I belong to called the Apocalypsies, 140 YA and MG authors who debut this year. 709 Mike Farris Common Mistakes Writers Make. From the query letter to the final manuscript, this class covers common mistakes that writers make and that can hurt their chances of finding an agent or publisher. 711 Jacquelyn Mitchard, Non-, Essay, Young Adult Transforming Personal Experience Into Essay: 'I' Means 'You'. A brisk, funny, moving and instructive journey from idea to essay, intended to help writers transform personal experience or belief into readable, sympathetic, thoughtful personal essays. 5:00-6:45pm Sunset Ballroom. Please join us for a no-host cocktail reception, appetizers & keynote address by New York Times bestselling author, Jacquelyn Mitchard. 7:00 8:15pm DINNER BREAK ON YOUR OWN. FRIDAY 8:30PM LATE NIGHT WORKSHOP BLOCK 705 Clements Red-Eye Group Read & Critique: This class is intended for authors of all genres who do their best work in the later hours. Writers are encouraged to bring samples of their writing to class & participate in a critique workshop. 4

5 SATURDAY 7:00-7:50AM LECTURE BLOCK 711 Antoinette Kuritz SATURDAY 8:00-8:50AM LECTURE BLOCK 701 Eldon Thompson Mike Sirota 707 Jared Kuritz 709 Helen Zimmerman 711 Tess Gerritsen How To Write For Marketability? It doesn t matter whether you self-publish or traditionally publish, or if you write fiction or non-fiction, your writing has to have a hook to get people interested. But, your business model, the method(s) of publishing you choose, and the methods by which you plan to promote your book should most certainly impact how your book is written when it comes to marketability. This class will discuss how to write for marketability based upon these scenarios. Conquering Writer s Block. Has your story fizzled out or hit a wall before completion? There are common reasons for this, and they are easier to overcome than you might think. Come hear a few basic tips for getting your story back on track. Outline? We Don t Need No Stinkin Outline! To some writers, outline is a dirty word (much like synopsis ). To others, it is an indispensable tool in helping to craft their stories. During his multiple writing careers in which he s published twenty novels, Mike Sirota has traveled down both roads, and in this workshop he will offer his thoughts from opposite sides of the fence. In addition, he will talk about his three-draft system in writing his own novels, from opening hook to submission-ready manuscript. Crafting Your Pitch. In 25 compelling words or less can you tell me what your book is about, why I should read it, why I should review it, or why I should interview you? Whether it is an agent, a reader, a producer, or your mom, what goes into a pitch varies based upon your intended audience and goals. We will discuss how to craft pitches accordingly to achieve your desired results. How to Find an Agent. All aspects of preparing your material for consideration by an agent will be discussed, in addition to tips on writing the perfect query letter, author bio, and enhancing your marketing potential. Effective Research For Novelists. Don't know anything about a topic? How do I find the answer? When is a lot of research is too much? Which details help a story, and which details only bog it down? SATURDAY 9:00-10:50AM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Eldon Thompson 703 Andrew Peterson 705 Antoinette Kuritz; Jacquelyn Mitchard; Suzie Townsend Private Session 707 Mike Farris All 709 Jared Kuritz 711 James Rollins All The Art & Science of Query Letters. Most writers are familiar with that dreaded phrase: "No unsolicited material." So how does one magically transform that unsolicited manuscript into REQUESTED material? Come see if your query letter can withstand the scrutiny of this practical, time-tested approach. Nuts & Bolts Of Expression (prose). A hands-on look at how to engage a reader through refined and polished prose. We'll do an in-depth read and critique of your work in progress. Bring your best page (a cliffhanger or character description, or anything you like) to share with the class for a nuts and bolts analysis of prose, style, and tone. 7-Minute Pitch: Sign ups for the 7-minute pitch sessions will begin at on Saturday morning at 6:45am Room 713. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be made in person by the participating individual. For the session, each participant will be assigned a private 7-minute period to present their book idea. These sessions are closed to the public. Only one session per attendee, please. Attendees should be prepared to spend the first 2 minutes providing the following information: what is your book about; what is your platform; who is your target market; why are you the appropriate person to write this book? The last 5 minutes should be left for feedback. You are welcome to attend, leave, and return to another class around your 7-minute session. Storytelling. Basics of storytelling, including discussions of character, structure, and writing "cinematically. Publishing With A Purpose. This class will explain and demystify the various viable publishing options available to you, the associated components and costs of each, and the questions you need to answer to determine what method(s) make the most sense for you. How to Hook A Reader In Those First Five Pages. You may not be able to judge a book by the cover, but an editor or agent will judge your book by those first five pages. Bring in those pages and learn how to make them shine and get your book sold. 5

6 SATURDAY 11:00-11:50AM LECTURE BLOCK 701 Sally van Haitsma & Non Antoinette Kuritz 707 Mike Sirota Horror, Thriller, Suspense 709 Jeniffer Thompson 711 Tess Gerritsen Nuts & Bolts Of Submitting Your Work To An Agent. General overview of the preparation and process of submitting work to an agent, tailored to the specific interests/needs of class participants and addressing the numerous options now available to writers beyond traditional publication. Beyond The Book: How To Translate Your Goals Into Sales. This class will discuss the three major components that need to be addressed in order to give your book the best possible chance at success. How To Scare The "Yell" Out Of People. The author of four horror novels will "show and tell" the difference between subtle horror and in-your-face bloodbaths and how and when to use each. Smart Website Designs For Authors Who Want To Sell Books. Novel Writing 101. A whirlwind tour of how I approach novel writing from A to Z. Some areas I plan to cover: "Is this a workable premise?" "Should I outline?" "How do I make this character interesting?" "How do I ratchet up tension?" "How to avoid info and character dumps" "What's a great ending?" 12:00-1:15pm Mission Bay Room. Lunch and keynote address by New York Times bestselling author, Tess Gerritsen. SATURDAY 1:30-3:20PM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Sally van Haitsma Commercial/Literary, Pop Culture, Business, How-To, Current Affairs, Narrative Non- 703 Lissa Price Young Adult Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Fantasy 705 Antoinette Kuritz; Warren Lewis; Helen Zimmerman; Mike Farris Private Session 707 Eldon Thompson 709 Kristen Lamb 711 Suzie Townsend Middle Grade, YA, Romance Commercial/Literary, Pop Culture, Business, How-To, Science & Narrative Non- Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Dystopian, Science, and Fantasy Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. 7-Minute Pitch: Sign ups for the 7-minute pitch sessions will begin at on Saturday morning at 6:45am Room 713. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be made in person by the participating individual. For the session, each participant will be assigned a private 7-minute period to present their book idea. These sessions are closed to the public. Only one session per attendee. Attendees should be prepared to spend the first 2 minutes providing the following information: what is your book about; what is your platform; who is your target market; why are you the appropriate person to write this book. The last 5 minutes should be left for feedback. You are welcome to attend, leave and return to another class around your 7-minute session. Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Creating Your Author Blog II (Connect/Community). This takes the content created in part I and plugs it into social media. Great, we have a blog, but how do we get readers? THAT is always the million dollar question. Using trademarked WANA techniques (WANA stands for We Are Not Alone), the class will come together as a unified team and plug into the WANA hive that is thousands strong. This will take participants from a small or even nonexistent following, to a reach in the hundreds of thousands...without spamming. The WANA Way is all about authenticity and relationships. The difference in this class is most social media classes hand writers a bunch of technical tools then toss them to the ether to sink or swim. Not with WANA. This class will drastically improve odds of social media success, will greatly enhance the enjoyment factor because writers can be creative and genuine, and will leave time for writing the actual BOOKS. WANA is about working exponentially, not linearly. First Pages Intensive. Learn how to make sure your first page will catch an agent's eye and hook them into your story. Bring your first two pages with you to the workshop, look at great examples and get an agent's notes on your own pages, with some time to edit and revise. 6

7 SATURDAY 3:30-4:20PM LECTURE BLOCK Andrew Peterson Mystery, Thriller Great Villains. An exploration of why the villain is the driving force in a thriller. 705 Mark Clements Fear Is The Key: Regardless of the genre, all writing requires an element of fear to make the plot, characters, or theme compelling. The author needs to make themselves or their protagonist vulnerable to truly connect with readers. We will examine both conventional and unconventional methods of incorporating fear as a central part of a character s development. 707 Warren Lewis Screenwriting How To Craft A Pitch For Hollywood? Think you have a great idea for a show or a movie? Learn from screenwriter Warren Lewis what it takes to turn your idea into a Hollywood-worthy pitch. 709 Jared Kuritz 5 Simple Social Networking & Internet Marketing Activities The Work. 711 Jacquelyn Mitchard Structure: What You Only Thought You Knew. An interactive class that shows students how to, Non-, think about the structure of their work in a way that they have never done before, as a connected Young Adult chain of events, each dependent on the previous one. SATURDAY 4:30-6:20PM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Dean Nelson 703 Peggy Lang, Memoir, Creative Non Mike Farris Talking To Strangers: How To Conduct Great Interviews. Storytelling needs sources. Some are reluctant, some un-cooperative, some TOO cooperative. But there are ways (always legal) to get people to talk. A veteran journalist and author will explore those methods., Memoir, Creative Non- Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Adaptation. This class will cover how to obtain rights for adaptation and how to actually adapt Screenwriting source material to screenplays. 709 Suzie Townsend All Query Letter Workshop. Learn how to write an amazing query letter! Workshop focuses on basic query structure, do's and don'ts, how to target the right agent for you, and how to identify your basic plot and conflict to use in writing a stellar hook. Also includes examples of queries that worked and time to write and revise your own query with an agent's notes. 711 Tess Gerritsen All "Is this premise novel-worthy?" Bring your story idea. Let's talk about whether it's sellable, and how you might improve it. 6:30-7:30pm Attendees & faculty for no-host cocktail reception and faculty author signing in the Mission Bay Room. 7:30-8:45pm Dinner and keynote address by author, James Rollins, in the Mission Bay Room. SATURDAY 9:00PM LATE NIGHT WORKSHOP BLOCK 705 Clements Red-Eye Group Read & Critique: This class is intended for authors of all genres who do their best work in the later hours. Writers are encouraged to bring samples of their writing to class & participate in a critique workshop. 7

8 SUNDAY 7:00-7:50AM LECTURE BLOCK 711 A Kuritz Media & PR 101: How To Identify & Build A Multi-Layer Platform. Whether you ve already written your book or are just in the planning stages, or whether you are seeking to traditionally publish or self-publish, the ultimate goal is to get people to read it, right? So, how do to plan to build a platform take advantage of the many ways to brand and market yourself and your book, to make you more attractive to agents and publishers or distributors, and to position yourself for media, speaking engagements, online marketing campaigns, specialty market sales, etc.? Come find out. SUNDAY 8:00-8:50AM LECTURE BLOCK Eldon Thompson Screenwriting 705 Antoinette Kuritz & Warren Lewis 707 Andrew Peterson Mystery, Thriller Tackling Hollywood. Think your story would translate well to film? Come look at the pros, the cons, and the structure of writing for the silver screen. Fantasy author and screenwriter Eldon Thompson offers basics on turning your fiction into a screenplay. Can You Sell Me On It? Bring your 30 second elevator pitch and we will help you refine it to reflect not only your project, but your target market. This fast-fire class will help you understand what it means to write for marketability. Plot and Character- A Symbiotic Relationship. The interlinked nature of plot and character in a thriller/mystery. In this class we'll take a basic plot idea and expand it into an entire storyline. During the process, it will become clear why you need to "know your characters" and understand their core motivations. What drives them? Legal Issues For Writers. This class will cover legal issues for writers, including such topics as copyright, defamation, obtaining life rights releases, and selling your film rights. Small Press & E-Publishing 101. The do s and don ts and what you need to know to do it right. 709 Mike Farris 711 Jared Kuritz SUNDAY 9:00-10:50AM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Sally van Haitsma Commercial/Literary, Pop Culture, Business, How-To, Current Affairs, Narrative Non- 703 Andrew Peterson Suspense, Mystery, Thriller 705 Eldon Thompson 707 Peggy Lang, Memoir, Creative Non- 709 Suzie Townsend All 711 Jacquelyn Mitchard, Non-, Essay, Short Story Commercial/Literary, Pop Culture, Business, How-To, Science & Narrative Non- Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Suspense, Mystery, and Thriller Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Group Read & Critique: Attendees should bring their working manuscripts to class. The instructor will facilitate the opportunity for up to the first 20 students in class to read a portion of their work and receive feedback. Get Rid of These Spellbreakers. Self-editing is tough, but the price is right. Get more than your money's worth when you edit yourself using these tips. We'll do some practice samples. For the very courageous: bring a problem section, and let's hammer on it! First Pages Intensive. The last thing you want is to write a beautiful query letter but have an agent stop reading your manuscript after the first few lines. Learn how to make sure your first page will catch an agent's eye and hook them into your story. Bring your first two pages with you to the workshop, look at great examples and get an agent's notes on your own pages, with some time to edit and revise. I'm Like, It Matters: Grammar, the Hidden Killer. A discussion of the most common, and most dangerous grammar and usage errors, and how bad grammar and usage can sink the most beautiful work -- and how good writing mechanics can exalt it. 8

9 SUNDAY 11:00-11:50AM LECTURE BLOCK Kristen Lamb 705 Mark Clements All & Memoir 707 Peggy Lang, Memoir, Creative Non- 709 Jared Kuritz 711 James Rollins Blogging to Build an Author Brand. Blogging can be a powerful foundation for a strong author brand, or can be a major time suck that makes want to hide in the master closet and O.D. on chocolate. Too many writers are blogging in ways that will actually fracture their platforms, dilute their brand, and leave them so stressed they can t write. Just because we know how to write novels, doesn't necessarily mean we possess the skill set to blog in ways that will reach thousands of readers. This class teaches writers how to mine that same creativity used in the novel-writing process to create blogs that are fun, creative and that speak to readers the same way our novels do. True Lies: Make Your Writing Real. Writing is the mental equivalent of juggling raw eggs, feathers, knives and chainsaws while singing all the harmonies of The Halleluiah Chorus with a smile on your face. The Right Ending. So many good tales disappoint at the ending by being either too neat, too happy, too tragic, or too meaningless. We'll consider your story/character arc and how it relates to the five basic options for story endings. Marketing 101. Can you definitively answer the following questions: who are your target readers; who are your target buyers; where to I find my readers and buyers; how do I make them aware of me and my book? How To Put The Thrill In Your Thriller (and other applicable genres). From opening lines to that final climax, a story of any genre should thrill on every page. Learn the step-by-step techniques to create a story that readers (and editors!) can't put down. 12:00-1:00pm LUNCH BREAK ON YOUR OWN. SUNDAY 1:10-3:00PM WORKSHOP BLOCK 701 Eldon Thompson 703 Dean Nelson Non-, Memoir, Narrative Non- 705 Antoinette Kuritz; Suzie Townsend; Helen Zimmerman Private Session 707 Mark Clements 709 Lissa Price YA, Dystopian, Thrillers, Fantasy, Science, Mystery, Historical, Women's, Middle Grade A Character's First Impression. As in real life, each of your characters gets only one chance to make a first impression. Can they make it count? Bring a character's introductory scene to class -- hero, villain, or supporting role -- and we'll see if it's someone we want to learn more about. Telling the Truth: Why Creative Non- Still Works. What is Creative Non? How do fiction techniques apply to stories that are true? What are some markets for this genre? Why does this genre still work? Why does it matter? This workshop will show that telling the truth (without fudging ANY of it) is still one of the most important ways we tell stories. 7-Minute Pitch: Sign ups for the 7-minute pitch sessions will begin at on Saturday morning at 6:45am Room 713. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-serve basis and must be made in person by the participating individual. For the session, each participant will be assigned a private 7-minute period to present their book idea. These sessions are closed to the public. Only one session per attendee. Attendees should be prepared to spend the first 2 minutes providing the following information: what is your book about; what is your platform; who is your target market; why are you the appropriate person to write this book. The last 5 minutes should be left for feedback. You are welcome to attend, leave and return to another class around your 7-minute session. Book Autopsy. Do either of these statements sound familiar? "Come on--i write better than that." "Damn it, I'll never be able to write that well." If you're a writer, you're also a reader (I hope). And if you're a reader, you can apply lessons from the books you love...and hate...to your own work. Bring the opening pages of your manuscript to this workshop, and see how the thoughtful dissection of published books, both good and terrible, can provide you with insight into improving your own writing. Query Helping You Write a Killer Query. You only get one chance with a query letter sent to agents -- make it the best it can be. Bring your query letter to this workshop and we will help you shape it so it has the best chance of grabbing the attention of a busy agent. You'll get more out of this if you try your version of the query first but it will also be helpful for people who have not written their query yet. We'll cover the format and show you samples from authors that worked so you can write yours in class. Will also cover the best tips on how to do the agent search and what to do when you're offered representation

10 SUNDAY 3:10-4:00PM LECTURE BLOCK Mark Clements 707 Lewis, Screenwriting 709 Suzie Townsend Don't Be a Wuss. Too many writers pull their punches, water down their liquor, cover their eyes. Big mistake: "discretion" and "fear" are not synonyms. Sure, closing a door can be far more effective than switching on the lights during a sex scene, or a murder scene, or an intimate domestic squabble...provided the door is closed not to hide the action, but to reveal it. Is Your Story A Movie? Even accomplished writers of fiction and non-fiction have hit frustrating roadblocks when they try to tell their story dramatically. Using examples from film, television, literature and from the participants work we will explore what happens when we try to make our ideas into drama. We'll demystify format, examine structure, process and how to "show, not tell." Applying the basic rules of dramatic writing has had a positive effect on the work of writers in literature. A solid basic examination of the modern screenplay. Intro to Social Media. Today s writer must be social media-savvy, but getting started can feel like landing in a foreign country without a guide book. What s a hashtag? Twitter? Klout? Learn the basic do s and don ts of social media. Learn the best formula for low-stress blogging and tweeting for shy persons. 711 Panel Open Q&A. By this point, you should probably feel pretty overloaded with new information. But we want you have the opportunity to bring any unanswered questions. If you don t have questions, come learn from what others are asking. 4:10-4:40pm Executive Room 711 will be available for conference attendees and faculty member to mingle and exchange contact information and closing remarks for 30 minutes after the last class session on Sunday. Special thanks to our sponsor for their support of La Jolla Writers Conference! 10

11 2011 LJWC Faculty Glossary Andrea Cavallaro: Mark Clements: Mike Farris: Tess Gerritsen: Jesse Kellerman: Antoinette Kuritz: Jared Kuritz: Kristen Lamb: Peggy Lang: Warren Lewis: Jacquelyn Mitchard: Dean Nelson: Andrew Peterson: Lissa Price: James Rollins: Mike Sirota: Eldon Thompson: Jeniffer Thompson: Suzie Townsend: Sally van Haitsma: Vernor Vinge: Helen Zimmerman: Literary Agent; Film & Foreign Rights Horror; Suspense; Editing Literary Agent; Entertainment Law, ; Screenwriting Medical Thrillers ; Theater; Crime Public Relations; Marketing; Branding; Publishing Business Modeling; Publishing; PR/Marketing; Branding; Non- Book Modeling; Content Editing; Online Marketing; Blogging; Social Networking Blogging and Social Networking Memoir; Personal Narrative; Ghost Writing Screenwriting; Pitching Editor; ; Young Adult Non- (including literary non-fiction, creative non-fiction and journalism) Thrillers Young Adult Dystopian; Science ; Fantasy Thrillers and Fantasy ; Editing Speculative ; Screenwriting Website Design Literary Agent; Young Adult; Romance Literary Agent Literary & Commercial ; Non-: Narrative, Memoir, Current Affairs, Pop Culture, Business Science Literary Agent; & Non- 11

12 ATTENDEE PRIVATE READ & CRITIQUE SCHEDULE ATTENDEES, PLEASE MEET YOUR FACULTY READER IN ROOM 713 FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THEIR SCHEDU ATTENDEE NAME FACULTY MEMBER MEETING TIME Arnopp Townsend Saturday, 11:30-11:50am Billuni Farris Saturday, 11:40-noon Blakey Haitsma Saturday, 10:00-10:20am Done Townsend Saturday, 8:00-8:20am Flores Farris Saturday, 8:00-8:20am Friesen Farris Saturday, 11:10-11:30am Higginbotham Kellerman Friday, 4:20-4:40pm Farris Sunday, 9:30-9:50am Johnson Haitsma Saturday, 4:00-4:20pm Zimmerman Saturday, 10:00-10:20am A. Kuritz Saturday, 4:40-5:00pm Farris Sunday, 9:00-9:20am Mastro Townsend Saturday, 8:30-8:50am Palluconi Townsend Sunday, 8:00-8:20am Robeson Zimmerman Sunday, 10:40-11:00am Townsend Sunday, 8:30-8:50am Roget Mitchard Saturday, 11:30-11:50am Sanders A. Kuritz Sunday, 10:00-10:20am Lewis Sunday, 11:00-11:20am Trent J. Kuritz Sunday, 9:00-9:20am Haitsma Saturday, 4:40-5:00pm Zimmerman Sunday, 10:00-10:20am Vonderau Lamb Saturday, 4:00-4:20pm Lang Saturday, 3:00-3:20pm Walther Mitchard Sunday, 11:30-11:50am Willett Townsend Sunday, 11:00-11:20am Haitsma Saturday, 5:30-5:50pm Zimmerman Sunday, 10:40-11:00am Woodward-Chie Townsend Sunday, 11:40-noon 12

13 Executive Suites