Seminar
Saturday, June 28, 2014
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.
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Pitch quickly and avoid producer tune-out. Returning presenter Pilar Alessandra offers written templates that help writers define the key elements of their screenplay or television series. Writers learn to pitch their ideas in a brief, concise and entertaining manner that emphasizes the hook and eliminates “writer-babble.”
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Seminar
Saturday, April 26, 2014
In this interactive seminar, we’ll look at why a great query and proposal are crucial for any author who’s seeking a traditional publishing deal — and almost as important for authors who want to self-publish.
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, March 15, 2014
“Method Writing” is an organic approach to writing, much as method acting is an organic approach to acting, stressing inner process and deep voice. “Method Writing” consists of various concepts that take the writer through techniques designed to make the writing more compelling and more effective, publishable and productive.
Back by popular demand, Jack Grapes…
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Has the lazy language of email made your professional communications sloppy?
Do you agonize over articles and query letters?
Do you fear grammatical errors?
Have you forgotten the rules you learned in school?
And do they still apply?
Presenter Flo Selfman calls herself a “professional nitpicker.” Participants will gain grammar confidence with a review of simple rules to correct dozens of commonly made errors.
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Cashing in on an opportunity to read aloud can be an effective marketing tool for the writer, and if done right, it can generate great word of mouth.
If not done right, a great novel, nonfiction discourse, essay, short story or poem can sound like sour mud.
Many writers are reclusive. The process of writing does lend itself to solitary moments. But sometimes you just have to get out there and market your work. Writing is a form of communication, of course. It would be a shame to find the work hitting a wall and sliding down in a gooey heap. You want it to resonate.
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Seminar
Saturday, October 26, 2013
In keeping with this year’s theme exploring the writing process, we cannot ignore humor, nor do we want to.
There are methods, tricks, turns of phrase, and surprises that elicit a laughter response. The two presenters have all of this, plus the instinct and a distinct ability and personality to clearly communicate how you can apply this to your own writing.
We will discuss how to open up to the absurdities and vagaries of life, and how to enjoy them. If you want to bring something that you have written, we will work with that as time permits, and we may also throw a few easy exercises your way.
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Seminar
Saturday, September 28, 2013
This year at IWOSC, we are exploring several different and creative ways to approach the process of writing fiction and nonfiction. Our seminar leaders are all experienced teachers who approach the creative process with a particular gift, and they are all eager to pass along the gift to you.
Your writing is a reflection of who you are and who you are becoming. – Hugh Leonard
This illuminating workshop will let you…
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Seminar
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Part 1
Peter Balaskas will discuss the craft of short story writing, the importance of writing cogently for brevity and impact, and various critical elements of this special writing genre. In a nutshell: What do I as an editor look for when publishing short stories in published anthologies?
Part 2
Strictly a writer’s workshop, where Peter will teach and moderate. Everyone brings 5 pages of material. Peter will give an introduction of the seminar, explain critiquing rules. Followed by individuals reading excerpts of their work, to be critiqued by the participants.
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, May 20, 2013
Your work will not sell itself. No marketing, no nothing, nada, zilch. Regardless of the enormous competition out there, if you are savvy, creative, and energetic, your work will have an edge. But you need to know how, you need to know where, you need to know what’s new and creative, and you need to know how to do it inexpensively and time-efficiently.
What has changed recently? What is all of this new buzz about Amazon and short stories?
For our yearly panel, we have assembled veterans who are very experienced in those matters. Learn from them and resolve to put the time and energy into improving your marketing. Yes, everyone can benefit from improved marketing.
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, May 18, 2013
“Method Writing” is an organic approach to writing, much as method acting is an organic approach to acting, stressing inner process and deep voice. “Method Writing” consists of various concepts that take the writer through techniques designed to make the writing more compelling and more effective, publishable and productive.
Jack Grapes will present this overview of the writer’s creative process,
focusing on his book “METHOD WRITING,” a technique he’s developed and used in his writing workshops over the last 35 years. Jack will discuss the nature of the creative process, and how that applies to “Method Writing.” So bring something to write on: paper and pen, parchment and quill, stone and chisel — whatever works..
He will lead the group in a writing prompt, time permitting
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Want to turn your book or short story into a screenplay? Screenwriting instructor Pilar Alessandra gives you a way in.
You’ll learn how to …
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Seminar
Saturday, March 16, 2013
This is a unique approach to understanding your motivation to write, to discover why your own voice is so critical, and how to apply that to best represent your work.
Attendees will be challenged to think beyond the parameters of the how-to-write approach, which contain some myths and do not encourage independent thinking. Topics covered will include:
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thinking about writing the stories of your life? Wondering where to start? Or have you started but feel unclear about how to organize your writing? Looking for ideas to make your tales a better read? Are you a published author looking for help writing in memoir form?
In this workshop, we will be using specially designed techniques that help enliven and enrich books of memoir, and tools to sharpen your writing and organization skills. We’ll get you started, and you’ll find you won’t want to stop. Or we’ll help you move to the next level of your work in progress.
Please bring a brief sample (one-three pages) from what you have written, for review. If you have not yet begun, that’s perfectly fine.
We’ll be writing one to two short pieces
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Seminar
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Join us for a morning of learning how to make money from your Blog (YES, as a writer … you absolutely should be blogging!). Blogs are big business. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn what blogging can do for your writing aspirations.
Tammy Bleck, writer/ghostwriter for hire, author, speaker and blogger extraordinaire, will share the ups, downs, ins and outs of creating a blog that will bring you business, solidify your brand and actually bring prominent recognition to your work.
Learn how your Blog can get you:
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, November 17, 2012
What if you could travel back in time to the gold rush era, and go right to where massive amounts of gold was just waiting for you to go get it? How about getting in FRONT of the next Facebook or Google and cash in on their meteoric growth?
Well, how’d you like to get in front of the next two fastest growing social media opportunities before everyone else figures out how to be really big there?
Pinterest has more than 10 million monthly unique visitors and is now the third most popular social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter. Google+, barely 1 year old, is now home to more than 400 million members and attracts 100 million active monthly users.
Steven Sanchez will show us why these two special new social media outlets are so popular and growing so fast. During our workshop we’ll cover…
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Bestselling author Alex Carroll is one of the world’s leading experts on radio publicity. Over the past 10 years he has been a guest on 1000+ radio shows, captured well over $4,500,000 in free radio airtime, and generated more than $1,500,000 in orders directly from listeners … all without spending a DIME on advertising and rarely leaving the comfort of his own home.
Numerous major radio hosts have lauded him as the most popular guest in their history. (He has been on with Rick Dees 19 times!) In this seminar, Alex will show you exactly how to extract a mother lode from the radio publicity gold mine. Whether you’re selling seminars, books, products, services, newsletters, a website, a cause, or a campaign … YOU TOO CAN GENERATE A FORTUNE in radio public
Alex will share secrets like…
Presented by: Alex Carroll
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Let’s face it; it’s tough to make a living as a writer. But opportunities exist, perhaps outside your niche, that just might keep the gray matter fresh and the bank account flush.
How many times have you read copy from a business or a website and shaken your head? These folks could benefit from the expertise of a professional scribe. Someone has to write the in-house newsletters, mission statements, and all other forms of communication. Wouldn’t it be appropriate if they hired someone who knows the craft of communication? That’s YOU!
How many times have you read copy from a business or a website and shaken your head? …
Presented by:
MARK MILLER
KAREN E. KLEIN
ANDREW HINDES
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, April 16, 2011
So you’ve got a story to tell. You’ve done your research, you know this is not a movie or a magazine article. You’re committed to write a book. How do you get published? If your story is fiction, get your backside in a chair and write it. If it’s nonfiction, the first and most critical step is creating a proposal. When you have a proposal, when your novel is in final manuscript, you will need an irresistible query letter that will convince an agent to represent you. Only literary agents have the contacts to get your work seen and read by editors in publishing houses. But how to begin?
Powerhouse writer MARVIN J. WOLF offers practical advice and savvy tips on how to turn your work into an attractive product ripe for picking by the book-publishing establishment. …
Presented by: Marvin J. Wolf
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Seminar
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Your book title, cover imagery and interior design are the most important parts of your book. Yes, the book content is the focus, but without the other components working for you, your book will not attract the attention it needs.
Your book COVER has 3-7 seconds to fulfill three immediate needs: 1. catch attention 2. create an emotional response 3. inspire an action. It’s science, it’s metaphysical and mathematical, and it’s fun.
Presented by: Karrie Ross
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Seminar
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Does your website need help? Do you need to build a home page but aren’t sure where to start or how to do it? Are you confused about what a writer really needs to know about “TGIF” (Twitter, Google, the iPhone, and Facebook)? Do you have a website but aren’t making any money?
If you answered YES to any of the above, you should attend this seminar. We’ll teach you the seven-step P-R-O-C-E-S-S you absolutely MUST follow for starting the right kind of websites (or improving the ones you have), growing your platform, and making money. Whether you’re just starting out or wanting to fine-tune your existing Internet strategy, you’ll learn what writers must know about blogs, keywords, landing pages, list building, your “platform,” search engines, getting website traffic, social networking (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) and drawing an income online. There’s never been a better time in history to be a writer, if you know what to do.
Presented by: Steven Sanchez
[To read more, click the title!]
Seminar
Saturday, January 15, 2011
We are at our most vulnerable when we are creating. Yet we are at our most original and powerful when we can let go of playing it safe. This workshop will give you the tools to strengthen your unique voice using spontaneous writing, storytelling, drawing and guided imagery to spark the imagination, tap into the subconscious and write from a wild, playful place. Walk a new path with your words. All writing genres welcome.
Presented by: Terrie Silverman, MFA
[To read more, click the title!]
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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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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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
[To read more, click the title!]
