Category: PastEvent10

Winter Party at the Biltmore

Party
Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Kick off the season in style at IWOSC’s annual Holiday Bash at the Biltmore!

Follow the tradition of presidents, celebrities, dignitaries – and IWOSC writers – by celebrating history, architectural splendor, and creativity at the beautiful downtown Biltmore Hotel!

Join your fellow scribes and guests on Wednesday, December 8, at one of Los Angeles’s most beautiful locations: the historic, elegant, architecturally awesome Millenium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

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Writing For/With/About Disabilities

Panel
Monday, November 22, 2010

Everyone faces challenges. Certain challenges, though, can be daunting. When the subject is disability, whether physical or mental, special care needs to be taken.

We do not always know how to show our sensitivity, activism and interest in print, using the correct words and rules. How can we learn the non-intuitive rules and how can we keep in touch with the changes? Moreover, what can we do to educate and support?

We will hear from people who have tackled…

Panelists:
Elaine Hall
Sarah Reinertsen
Keith Adams
Libby Slate
Karen Lynn

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Into to Improv for Writers, taught by Melanie Chartoff

Seminar
Saturday, November 20, 2010

Blocked in your writing? Inhibited in public appearances? Interested in face-to-face collaborating? Expand your spontaneity, marketability, and imagination as you embody and emotionalize characters in improvised scenes in this class.

Presented by: Melanie Chartoff

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How to write funny

Seminar
Saturday, September 25, 2010

Almost every type of writing can benefit from a quip or two, or a gently turned phrase in the direction of humor. Even the deepest recesses of serious fiction use humor to break the tension from time to time.

But how do you write something that is funny? How do you know that your words will make the reader or listener crack a smile and not just be corny? When if you’re in a foul mood and are still required to crank out a funny moment or two? How do you do that?

Presented by: Judy Carter and David Samson

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IWOSC Summer Party!

Party
Sunday, August 8, 2010

Wine and dine with fellow writers at San Antonio Winery, the last producing winery in LA!

Enjoy an antipasto bar followed by a buffet dinner with entrees, pasta, salad, vegetable, dessert and unlimited iced tea

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Making Your Own Opportunities in Writing

Panel
Monday, July 26, 2010

The writing business requires a creative mind, especially when one expects it to create an income. Fortunately, the demand for content is expanding. Writers can make this business grow by embracing new and evolving applications in journalism, books, plays, and more.

Our eclectic panelists have done just that. They’ll describe their success steps, and explain where they found opportunities, how they met their challenges, and what new outlets they see on the horizon.

Moderator: MARILYN ANDERSON
TRACY TRIVAS
PAUL RYAN
LARRY NEMECEK
TERRI CHENEY

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Short Story Writing Workshop

Seminar
Saturday, July 17, 2010

Last year, Peter A. Balaskas taught the sold-out interactive writers workshop “What Editors Look For in a Short Story.” After many requests for another workshop, Balaskas will again teach an IWOSC writing class where attendees’ work will be critiqued by the group as well as by the instructor. In addition, Balaskas will discuss the craft of short story writing, the importance of writing cogently for brevity and impact, and various critical elements of this writing genre.

Attendees are invited to bring at least two pages (double-spaced, please!) of their short story for a collaborative discussion. Writers must also bring at least 20 copies to be shared in class. In the interest of time, Balaskas will determine how many works-in-progress will be able to be read in the seminar. Pitching short story ideas is also welcome.

Presented by: Peter Balaskas

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MYSTERY: How to write and enjoy reading mysteries of all shapes and styles

Panel
Monday, June 28, 2010

Everybody loves a mystery — but not everybody knows how to write one. That’s not a surprise, since there are almost as many kinds of mystery novels as there are novels themselves. From the classic English “cozy” or “drawing-room” mystery, to the quintessentially American, hardboiled Film Noir thriller, to the scary and gory forensic thrillers and psychological shockers of the past 25 years, tonight IWOSC and a panel of experts will set out into the night to unravel the mystery of what makes a great mystery.

Moderator: Telly Davidson
Dianne Emley
Erica Miner
April Smith

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Get Your Book Published! Choose the path that’s right for you!

Seminar
Saturday, June 19, 2010

In this seminar, multiple Award-Winning author and Book Midwife, Gemini Adams,explores vanity, self, traditional and hybrid publishing with a detailed analysis of the pro’s and con’s, together with up-front costs, back-end returns, rights issues, royalites and what materials you actually need according to the path you choose. This information will save you hours of your life that can be wasted writing book proposals, pursuing publishers who have no interest in your work, and can save you thousands that you might otherwise waste creating and self-publishing a product that won’t sell anywhere!

Presented by: GEMINI ADAMS

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Getting The Buzz On: Marketing Your Book

Panel
Monday, May 24, 2010

It’s obvious: ineffective marketing equals few sales. Even if you are savvy, creative, energetic, and your work has an edge, it will rarely sell itself. There is tremendous competition out there, and you need to know how to shine through it, effectively, efficiently, and inexpensively. We’ve assembled a panel of experts experienced in writing, marketing, and publicity. Come and learn from them. Discover what mistakes to avoid and where the hot media outlets are today. Anyone intent on disseminating ideas to wide audiences can benefit from attending this discussion.

Janie Hewson
JOHN SEELEY
CLIFF CARLE
MARILYN ANDERSON
BILL SALEEBEY, Ph.D
MAGGIE ANTON
Shannon Hammer

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You’re So Brilliant! Why Don’t They Buy?

Seminar
Saturday, May 15, 2010

ANN CONVERY is an international speaker, seminar leader, trainer and author who has worked with top professionals in politics, medicine, law, business, health and beauty. For 18 years she has prepared clients for CNN, 60 Minutes, The New York Times, Time magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Vogue, People, Self, and other media outlets. She has also guest lectured at UCLA Extension and The USC Marshall School of Business. In addition, Convery has been interviewed in The Los Angeles Times, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, First for Women, Entrepreneur, and Presentations Magazine.

Convery will talk about her system called Speak Your Business in 30 Seconds or Less™ which explains that the self-centered Primitive (or Old) Brain responds to stark contrast, likes street language, stops listening to the middle of your message, is attracted to word-pictures, and is only reached through emotion

Presented by: Ann Convery

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Literary Agents 101: What Writers Must Know About Finding, Securing & Working with Representation

Panel
Monday, April 26, 2010

As every savvy writer learns, getting the words onto the page is just half the battle. To gain proper exposure and compensation for these efforts, writers must develop marketing intelligence. It also helps to be aligned with someone who has been down this road before – the literary agent. IWOSC’s April program presents a stellar panel of agents and a literary attorney, who will reveal how to find the right representative, get their attention, and create a successful relationship. We’ll look at new trends, and how to protect yourself in the current marketplace.

Moderator: Robin Quinn
Angela Rinaldi
Sally van Haitsma
Natalie M. Fischer
Michael Klein, Esq./p>

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WORKING YOUR MANUSCRIPT: The Beginning, the Plot, and Ten Ways to Improve Everything

Seminar
Saturday, April 17, 2010

Before you spend years researching, writing, rewriting and polishing that great
nonfiction tome that no one else could possibly assemble, STOP! Why invest time and
effort in a book that may not be what publishers believe is marketable? Or worse, after
three years and three hundred pages, your book turns out to be very similar to another
already set for publishing. Would it not be more time- and cost-effective to first distill
your concept and structure into its essence, then write a proposal outlining your format
and information? And before you send that detailed proposal to agents or editors,
would it not be even more prudent to focus your ideas further by writing a single-page
query letter? The answer to both questions is yes. Proposals and query letters are
standard publishing industry procedures.

Presented by: Marvin J. Wolf

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FROM BOOKS TO FILM — Getting the Hollywood Treatment

Panel
Monday, March 22, 2010

“Look what they’ve done to my book, Ma!”

This month, the Independent Writers of Southern California presents a special program, on “Getting the Hollywood Treatment” — and what it means for novelists, memoir and biography authors, and journalists. How can a writer best position his or her work for a screen option? What can a novelist expect when his or her book gets an offer to be adapted into a movie? Does a self-published and small press author carry professional credibility? If not, how does one establish it? What storytelling qualities help make a novel, biography/memoir, or news article a must-see for the screen? And likewise, how has the lightning pace of movies and TV changed what Larry McMurtry calls “the Culture of the Book”?

Moderator: TELLY DAVIDSON
MARVIN J. WOLF
BARNEY LICHTENSTEIN
DAN WATANABE

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Writing Spiritual Topics – health and healing, self-awareness and empowerment, the essence of love, dealing with loss, and more

Panel
Monday, February 22, 2010

It’s an evolving trend – humankind’s search for fundamental truths by moving beyond conventional wisdom to ask the questions behind the questions, seeking the answers behind the answers. And consequently, as our personal quests draw more attention within the popular culture, an expanding group of smart thinkers are responding to our call by offering public lectures, structured lessons and a myriad of books. The more popular publications in this arena have risen to the top of the best-seller lists, such as: The “Chicken Soup” series, “A Course in Miracles,” “The Secret,” “The Last Lecture,” “The Power of Now,” “The Science of God,” “Life after Death,” “Healing through Faith,” “Law of Attraction,” and many more.

ELAINE WILKES, Ph.D., N.C., M.A., LEED
GEMINI ADAMS
MONY VITAL, Ph.D.
TODD J. LYON, M. D.
RICHARD JELUSICH
DEE WALLACE

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Grammar for Grownups: Painless Grammar and Punctuation Review for Writers

Seminar
Saturday, February 20, 2010

Back by popular demand is “Grammar for Grownups: A Painless Grammar and Punctuation Review for Writers,” offered by Independent Writers of Southern California (IWOSC). Presenter is Flo Selfman, public relations consultant, proofreader/copyeditor and sixth-year IWOSC president.

Has the lazy language of email and texting made your professional communications sloppy? Do you agonize every time you prepare an article or a query letter because you’re afraid it contains grammar and punctuation errors? Are your skills a little rusty?

Seminar participants will gain grammar confidence in a review of few simple rules that can correct dozens of the most commonly made errors in written and spoken communication. Topics to be covered include…

Presented by:

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IWOSC Reads Its Own – January 2010

IWOSC Reads Its Own
Sunday, January 31, 2010

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.

Sixteen of IWOSC’s talented member writers will read short excerpts from their work. We’ll be regaled with their wit, have our emotions stirred, or be plunged into deep thought. First-time and return readers will share their work. Selections may be published, unpublished, or works in progress, several minutes in length.

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Writing 2.0: Electronic, POD, and Social Media

Panel
Monday, January 25, 2010

Now that you have so many options for the dissemination of your writing, as well as the promotion of your book and/or services, the choices can be daunting — if you look at it as one package. However, when you break down the components, each one can serve to enhance all the aspects of your work … without making you crazy.

Our expert panel will explain the new methods offered today, and show you how to integrate these new tools and shortcuts to promote your work.

Moderator:
ANNETTE FIX
PENNY C. SANSEVIERI
ELLEN REID
JULIE SPIRA

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