IWOSC SATURDAY SEMINAR
WRITING DIALOG: Much More than Words
Saturday, May 19, 2012
10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (networking follows the discussion)
Dialog is writing for the ear. It must be more interesting and vital than “He said,” “They said,” “She said.” Is that all each speaker did? How did they come across? Do they mumble, pause between thoughts, run their sentences together in a confusing jumble? Do they stutter or punctuate their speech with meaningless extras, such as yo, uh, ah, um, you know, and so forth? In both fiction and non-fiction, characters have distinct personalities. When they speak, they need to use the nuances of phrase, cadence and timbre to create in a reader’s head the image of a specific person. Their dialog needs to ring true to the confines of their character and setting. This is even more true for film dialog. In this interactive seminar, exercises and discussion will probe the ways to perfect your "ear" so that your characters ring true.
PRESENTER:
MARVIN WOLF: The author of 15 books, including a first novel, ”The Tattooed Rabbi” (Antenna Books, NY 2011), Wolf is a charter member of IWOSC. During almost 30 years as a member, he served four terms as president and three as director of professional development. He has participated in dozens of panels and regularly teaches an IWOSC seminar on book proposals. He is also a produced screenwriter and a member of the Writers Guild of America, West. He's working on another novel.
Where:
Veterans Memorial Building
4117 Overland Avenue, Culver City
Corner of Culver Boulevard.
Parking entrance on Culver. Parking is free.
Wear layered clothing; the room is usually comfortable, but the temperature can vary.
Cost:
IWOSC members: $15
Non-members: $35
Reservations Required — Space is limited.
Reservation deadline: 4 p.m. the Friday before the seminar.
NOTE:
If you reserve and cannot attend, please notify the IWOSC office at info@iwosc.org.
For reservations and information,
email the IWOSC office
or
call 877-79-WRITE (that's 877-799-7483).
When reserving, please provide your first name, your last name, a phone number, and let us know whether you are a member or not so we can accurately list you on our check-in sheet.
If you have a blocker such as Boxbe, please add info(at-sign)iwosc.org to your OK list or you will never see your confirmations.
NOTE: If you reserve and can not attend, please email the IWOSC office to let us know.
IN ORBIT: UPCOMING SATELLITE MEETINGS
IWOSC's monthly drop-in satellite sessions are free and open to all writers — both members and non-members.
Bring your writing, your ideas, problems, questions, and complaints. Receive support, laughs, juicy controversy, and plenty of networking. And please support our hosts by purchasing snacks and other products.
Pasadena/Altadena Satellite
IWOSC's Pasadena/Altadena Satellite meets the 2nd Friday of the month at Coffee Gallery.
Hosted by: Jane Neff Rollins. This is a joint meeting of our IWOSC Pasadena Satellite and the Alameda Writers Group Special Interest Group (SIG). Unfortunately, the Coffee Gallery may not be available after March. After March please email the coordinator to confirm the location.
Next meetings:
Friday, March 9
Friday, April 13 — Friday the 13th (anticipated meeting date)
Friday, May 11 (anticipated meeting date)
Friday, June 8 (anticipated meeting date)
Friday, July 13 — Friday the 13th (anticipated meeting date)
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Location:
Coffee Gallery
2029 N. Lake Ave, Altadena 91001
626-398-7917
Admission:
Free to both IWOSC members and non-members.
However, we'd like you to purchase coffee or a snack in support of our host.
For more information about this satellite,
write to Jane Neff Rollins or call her at (818) 957-3405.
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West Valley (Woodland Hills) Satellite
IWOSC's San Fernando Valley Satellite meets the 2nd Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble in Woodland Hills.
Hosted by: Sylvia Cary
Next meetings:
Wednesday, March 14
Wednesday, April 11
Wednesday, May 9
Wednesday, June 13
Wednesday, July 11
Time: 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Location:
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
at the Promenade in Woodland Hills
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd Suite 1340
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
818-704-3850
Free parking in the shopping center
Here's the Barnes & Noble page about this location.
It also contains a map link and directions feature.
Admission:
Free to both IWOSC members and non-members.
For any questions write to Sylvia Cary.
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Ventura County Satellite (Thousand Oaks)
IWOSC's Ventura County satellite meets the 2nd Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Sherwood Country Club
Hosted by: Dawn Wood. Dawn is a published poet, physician, and medical script consultant, who recently taught medical narrative fiction at a University of Iowa workshop, The Examined Life: Writing and the Art of Medicine.
Next meetings:
Thursday, March 8
Thursday, April 12
Thursday, May 10
Thursday, June 14
Thursday, July 12
Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Fee: $2 per person, collected at the meeting.
Location:
Sherwood Country Club (Golf Clubhouse)
320 West Stafford Road
Thousand Oaks, CA 91361
Parking:
Free parking. Stop at guard house for directions to IWOSC.
Dress Code:
No shorts or jeans are allowed in the golf club
RSVP:
Please email to let Dawn Wood know you'll be coming.
More info: This group has its own website at iwoscventura.ning.com.
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Westside Satellite
IWOSC's Westside Satellite meets the 2nd Thursday at 10 a.m. at Ye Olde King's Head in Santa Monica.
Hosted by: Vickey Kalambakal
Next meetings:
Thursday, March 8
Thursday, April 12
Thursday, May 10
Thursday, June 14
Thursday, July 12
TIme: 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Location:
Ye Olde King's Head
116 Santa Monica Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401-2202
It's midway between Ocean and 2nd.
We gather in a private room and alternate between reading our own work, listening to a speaker, or just going around the table asking questions, sharing gripes and discussing insights.
Parking:
The city parking lots on 2nd Street (both north and south of Santa Monica Blvd.) allow two hours of free parking.
[Santa Monica Parking map]
Admission:
Free to both IWOSC members and non-members.
As a courtesy to the pub, all attendees must purchase food.
RSVP:
RSVPs are appreciated, but not necessary.
Please email Vickey with your RSVPs or questions.
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Orange County Satellite
IWOSC's Orange County Satellite meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Tustin Library.
Hosted by: Kurt Bensworth
Next meetings:
Thursday, March 15
Thursday, April 19
Thursday, May 17
Thursday, June 21
Thursday, July 19
Time: 7 to 9 p.m.
Location:
Tustin Library
345 E. Main Street
Tustin, CA
Admission:
Free to both IWOSC members and non-members.
If you have any questions about this satellite,
contact Kurt by email.
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South Bay Satellite — NEW
This group is just getting started, which makes it the perfect time to join. The coordinator is the effervescent Joan Rodman who adds:
South Bay writers, we would love to hear from you.
What are you working on? what are your challenges?
What can this group offer you to support your talent?
We are all ears.
Email Joan here
Next meetings:
Wednesday, March 7
Monday, April 2
Monday, May 7
Thursday, June 14
Time:
6:30 p.m. meet and greet
7:00-8:30 meeting
Location:
Manhattan Beach Library Conference Room
1320 Highland Avenue
Manhattan Beach CA 90266
Free parking in the large parking lot in back. Enter from 15th Street. (City Hall/Library shared lot.)
Note: After our June meeting, the library will close for renovations and a new meeting place will be announced.
Admission:
Free to both IWOSC members and non-members.
If you have any questions/suggestions about this satellite, please write to: Joan Rodman, writeratwork@yahoo.com
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IWOSC Reads Its Own
Sunday, March 4, 2012
2 to 4 p.m.
Twice a year IWOSC holds a special FREE event — “IWOSC Reads Its Own” — a spellbinding afternoon of eclectic, eccentric, and exemplary works — from poems to true stories to hilarious monologues and beyond, read aloud by distinguished IWOSC scribes. We’ll be regaled with their wit, have our emotions stirred, or be plunged into deep thought at the beautiful independent bookstore, Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.
Some IWOSC’s talented member writers will read short excerpts from their published, unpublished, or in-progress works. We'll announce our selected readers here as we set the line-up.
Location:
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-449-5320
There is plenty of parking on Colorado and neighboring streets.
Admission:
Free. The public is welcome.
No reservations necessary.
Do join us and bring friends and family. In fact, why not make a day of it? There’s so much to do in Pasadena!
To help you plan your day, here are Google searches for Pasadena, sightseeing and of things to do in Pasadena. Or pick up a copy of Pasadena Weekly when you're there.
Send a email the IWOSC office for more information.
IWOSC Reads Its Own
Sunday, March 11, 2012
2 to 4 p.m.
We hope everyone will join us in Pasadena on March 4th but are also holding an extra “IWOSC Reads Its Own” this time around. Hear some of IWOSC’s members read excerpts from their own writings.
Location:
B&N
3rd St. Promenade
Santa Monica
Admission:
Free. The public is welcome.
No reservations necessary.
We invite you to join us and bring friends and family.
Send a email the IWOSC office for more information.
IWOSC presents the 2nd offering of a special 4-session writing workshop:
“The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages”
An interactive writers’ workshop with Nancy Ellen Dodd
How do you write the story you want to tell and capture your audience’s heart? Regardless of genre or format, to tell an effective story you must first sort through all the ideas you’ve been toying with—organize them, whip them into shape, and turn them into great writing. In “The Writer’s Compass” seminar you will learn how to do just that. First we will go over the essential elements of good storytelling using a structure chart. That chart will then become a guide to creating a story map that will tell you what you know about your story, and more importantly, what you don’t know. Next we will explore additional tools to help you find ideas to fill in what’s missing.
You will learn how to develop your own storytelling compass and the 7-Stage process for more efficiently developing your story. These stages include: 1) forming and developing ideas, 2) building strong structures, 3) creating vibrant characters, 4) structuring scenes and transitions, 5) increasing tension and adjusting pacing, 6) enriching the language and dialogue, and 7) editing and submitting. The workshop is based on the book “The Writer’s Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages” by Nancy Ellen Dodd, just released by Writer’s Digest.
NANCY ELLEN DODD teaches screenwriting at Pepperdine University to undergraduate and graduate students and is an academic editor at Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School. She has studied writing for more than 25 years and received two master’s degrees in writing in various forms from USC. Dodd has received numerous awards for her writing, which includes screenplays, plays, short stories, short films, and novel-length manuscripts, as well as inspirational writing. She also studied writing with several successful, award-winning writers. Dodd’s journalistic career includes publishing more than 130 articles in local and national publications including interviews with celebrities and business leaders and she has served as editor of three different publications.
Class space is limited so reserve and pay early.
WHEN:
4 Wednesdays, March 7, 14, 21, and 28, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
COST:
$60 for IWOSC members in good standing; $90 for nonmembers.
Nonmembers must pay in advance via PayPal or check made out to IWOSC and sent to P.O. Box 34279, Los Angeles, CA 90034. Mail check now; space is limited.
INFORMATION and RESERVATIONS: info@iwosc.org or 1-877-799-7483.
LOCATION: A home in Venice. The address and directions will be sent upon registration.
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Some of Our Past Events
Wondering what other events and types of events we've had? See our past 2006 events, 2007 events, 2008 events, 2009 past events, 2010 past events and 2011 past events.
