Reminder for South Coast Writers Conference in February
Lots of good workshops at the South Coast Writers Conference. A discounted fee is available until January 31. I’m doing 3 workshops on February 17th and 18th.
Quick summaries:
Friday from 9 to 4 Sharpen Your Storytelling Skills
The focus is fiction craft issues with 5 writing exercises (2 exercises also in Ray’s 2nd Saturday workshop). Free e-copy of my book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells, is provided before the conference. Topics covered:
- Writing for effect
- Story as a river
- Start with kitty-cats in action
- Six vital story ingredients
- It takes story questions to turn pages
- Making it experiential to characterize
- Describing a point-of-view character
- How to deliver the sound of dialogue
- When to tell, how to show
- Adverbs: Good? Bad? Yes.
Storytelling: after lecture and exercises, members write the opening page of a story (scenario provided) to read aloud for class critique.
Saturday from 10:45 to 12:15 Crafting a Killer First Page
In the workshop, I first give a brief presentation of six vital story elements for fiction. Then, one at a time, a writing sample (first page from a novel submitted by an attendee) is passed out to attendees. Attendees read the sample, decide if they’d turn the page on this novel, make notes, and then I lead the group in a critique of the page as to its effectiveness, shortcomings, and strengths. I also give my evaluation. My critique may also suggest a better starting narrative from later in the submitted chapter. Attendees who submit samples that are critiqued can take the group’s notes with them, including mine.
Saturday from 3:15 to 4:45 Crafting Killer Description and Dialogue Scenes
The fiction writer’s task is to create the experience of the story in the reader's mind, not to just write a report of what happens. By combining a technique called experiential description with action beats in dialogue, a narrative can deliver that experience. This workshop leads writers to think about how to write for effect—the use of writing techniques to affect the experience the reader imagines.
I hope to see you there.
Ray
© 2012 Ray Rhamey