Panel
Monday, November 20, 2017
IWOSC’s veteran comedy expert and acting coach GREG MILLER leads us in exploring of how to mix the business of writing with the pleasures of friendship.
Being a writer is often stereotyped as a lonely profession — the ultimate in self-employment,” working from home alone in front of the keyboard. And at times it can be just that. But some of the most successful writers out there work together in teams — from ghostwriters and “written with” authors and their clients, to comedy teams working on screenplays and TV scripts, to husband-and-wife teams (or boyfriends/girlfriends, gay couples, or longtime best friends for that matter) who find themselves as partners 24-7, both on and off the job.
In our final IWOSC 2017 panel, we look at what keeps a writing team together (and what can drive them apart), group and power/control dynamics, appropriate “boundary” issues, and how to find the “write” person and team up successfully to hopefully double your chances of success — plus much more.
Moderator: Greg Miller
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, October 30, 2017
Writers, do you know that Los Angeles (especially Hollywood and Beverly Hills) is a hotbed of magazine publishing? But the magazines published here don’t always make it easy to for freelance writers to contribute. In fact, they can be downright secretive about their article submission processes!
At IWOSC’s Magazine, Ezine, and Newspaper Editors Panel, top editors – including one from the Los Angeles Times – will share secrets with writers about breaking into their publications. The editors will tell writers how to get their attention, which departments are most actively looking for fresh article ideas, and how freelance writers can contact them. They’ll even suggest hot upcoming topics for writers to focus on!
All this and more.
Panelists:
Jennifer Purdie
Gina M. Salvati
Chris Erskine
Moderator:
Telly Davidson
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, September 25, 2017
Writers, got knowledge? Great! The trick is to share it and get paid for it. Our panel of experts and authors will give you the how-to on how-to books.
For authors, that means writing up all your advice, tips, hacks. and instructions, putting it into a manuscript and preparing it for publication.
Start your engines. What have you got, and what can you publish? Almost any topic can be successfully turned into a book…
Moderator: Robin Quinn
Debra Eckerling
Rebecca Cooper
Steve Hutson
Jennifer Purdie
Marilyn Anderson
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, June 26, 2017
Dying is easy, comedy is hard – but this panel might just make it a little easier.
We’ll discuss multiple comic styles and comedy formats (TV, standup, essay, etc.), how to get more laughs, lighten up, and create comedy on a structural level with topics including: …
Moderator: Greg Miller
Laura Hayden
Jack Moore
Carrie Snow
Steve Kaplan
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, May 22, 2017
For writers, the decision about getting an agent is critical. The publishing marketplace changes constantly. The right literary agent can be an author’s advocate, fighting for the writer en route to traditional publishing. Agents are also a writer’s partner and guide, pointing authors and screenwriters to editors, publicists, and the right publishing house or producer.
Each April, following the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, IWOSC assembles a panel of Southern California agents — including an agent representing screenplays for film or TV. These agents will give us, the writers, a look at the publishing world of 2017.
They will tell us:
Moderator: Telly Davidson
Sara Nestor, Verve — a talent and literary agency
Charlotte Gusay, The Charlotte Gusay Literary Agency
Steve Hutson, WordWise Media Services
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, April 24, 2017
If you have an issue that pertains to you specifically (need help editing, social media issues, internet issues, want suggestions for a cover illustrator, etc.) this is the place to discuss it.
Some of our Board members will be in attendance, plus many of your fellow writers.
We are confident that we can address your personal concerns.
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, March 27, 2017
Here’s a question that perplexes every writer, no matter their genre:
What Do Critics Want?
How does a book writer, novelist, screenwriter, or filmmaker get noticed by professional critics and bloggers – especially if the author is published by a small press, or is self-published, or is an “indie” filmmaker?
If a screenwriter or book author is lucky enough to make a film deal, there are further questions. With hundreds of film festivals around the globe and hundreds of channels of content on TV (let alone the internet), what determines whether a TV show or movie is one of the best – or one of the rest?
And we’ll throw in another angle: writing criticism yourself.
Justin Chang
Tim Cogshell
Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn
Debra Levine
Moderator:
TELLY DAVIDSON
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, February 27, 2017
Award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors discuss science fiction and fantasy writing.
Topics covered on this panel for writers include:
worldbuilding and constructing alternate realities
genre bias in publishing
the explosion of Young Adult fiction
women and diversity in speculative fiction
writing dystopian books in the age of Trumpism
how to translate books into film and TV
The panel will also cover practical tips for writing speculative fiction and an insider’s perspective on the state of the publishing industry, especially as it pertains to Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) writing.
Moderator: Jennifer Brody
Tobie Easton
Elizabeth Briggs
Romina Russell
Nicole Maggi
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, January 30, 2017
Does your website attract new readers?
Keep your fans happy?
Sell your books?
(Do you even have a website?)
With all this social media, does a writer really need their own website? And if you have one, what should you be doing with it nearly 20 years into the new millennium? So much has changed so fast; what should you be doing today?
Do you have any of these questions…
Moderator: Greg Miller
Deborah Shadovitz
Jennifer Brody
Steven Sanchez
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, November 21, 2016
Many professions have the burden of the issue of age, defined differently in every profession.
If you are of a “certain age,” you may be passed over because of the perception that your output is less dynamic, not speaking the language of the time, unable to put the time in due to family concerns.
Younger people often have the “Catch 22” needing to be young, but also needing to have experience in order to get noticed and validated.
We are going to deal with both sides of that coin, starting with this month’s panel.
Moderator: Telly Davidson
Jordan Oslin
Scott Kaiser, MD
David Gittins
Ray Richmond
Chuck N. Baker
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, October 24, 2016
It was never easy to begin a career in writing, journalism, or entertainment — but despite the advances made by women and people of color, it often seems like the barriers, obstacle courses, and glass ceilings getting past the “gatekeepers” has gotten harder for everyone over the past 15 or 20 years, not to mention since the 2008 meltdown.
This month we deal with the challenges faced by young, Millennial and Generation X writers, and first-time writers (of all ages) at the beginnings and the early mid-points of their careers.
Scheduled topics will include…
Moderator:
Josh Grapes
Mike Vainisi
Carole Kirschner
Jeff Porter
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, July 25, 2016
Rounding off our media triumvirate, our July panel will present some fascinating documentary filmmakers.
The journey from concept to production, distribution and sales presents quite the challenge. Documentarians possess the devotion to their subject and a certain single-mindedness that, if the fates allow, lead them to a worthy finished product.
Our panelists:
Tom Jennings
Stephanie Hubbard
Karla DiBenedetto
Susan Karlin, Moderator
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, June 27, 2016
In Hollywood, nothing says success more than a sequel -– and following on the heels of our successful TV Writing Program last month, IWOSC is proud to present a trip from small-screen to big, with our Screenwriting Panel.
Just in time for this year’s summer blockbusters, we’re assembling a panel of proven screenwriters, critics/coaches, and literary agents to discuss how to break down the barriers to the box office, and bring our stories to life for the movies.
We’ll be discussing things like:…
Our panelists:
Robert Ramsey
Alton Glass
Marilyn Anderson
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, May 23, 2016
TV is a booming business for writers with one-hour dramas and dramedies, half hour semi-comedic series and animation. Even reality TV relies on writers to come up with hours of new, different and compelling material.
This panel will discuss what it takes to get into TV writing – and what it takes to stay there.
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel IWOSC’S ANNUAL AGENTS PANEL What Writers Must Know About Finding & Working with Representation Today Monday, April 18, 2016…
Panel
Monday, February 29, 2016
There’s no one formula for writing – there are a thousand!
Aside from raw talent and a tip or two from the Muse, we have principles, rules, devices, guidelines, categories, strategies, tools, tactics, and techniques.
Our expert panel will offer help for all writers whether writing fiction, screenplay, or even nonfiction.
We will discuss (as time allows)…
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, March 21, 2016
Magazines are everywhere. It seems as if they must be starving for content, but they don’t make it easy to for writers to contribute. In fact, they can be downright secretive about the process.
Not all magazines pay well; some do not all pay at all. But sometimes the article practically writes itself, and other times the resume credit is worth the effort, even if the money does not fit. And sometimes there are other valuable perks that you might not have considered.
Our expert panel will discuss…
[To read more, click the title!]
WHAT DO PUBLISHERS WANT?
As the greatest writer of them all once said, “That IS the question.” We all know that writing an interesting, involving, and top-quality book is a must, if you want to attract a good agent or a mainstream publisher — and especially if you want to publish it yourself.
But what happens after you write “The End”?
What goes on “behind the scenes” at publishers and agencies that determine if they say Yes or No? What do publishers and agents need from authors themselves, with regard to pre-existing fame and media profile, platform, credibility, education/credentials, and the like, besides writing a good book on a worthwhile topic?
[To read more, click the title!]
(networking follows the program) Written essays have always been a creative way to express views and test the waters for…
Panel
Monday, November 16, 2015
Who doesn’t like nostalgia?
But nostalgia for one person might be ancient history for another. But good nostalgia can strike a chord with many people.
Nostalgia can liven fiction and stand on its own. If given the proper treatment, it can become an “evergreen.”
We will look at the writings and the process of several notable writers, veterans in the field of nostalgia. They have preserved a world and within those words are inspiration, fascination, humor, and pathos, and since it is all based on real events, often from known names, we can relate to the universals.
The many horror stories, success stores, emotional upheavals and poignant aftermath of events past, take on a personal meaning in the world of nostalgia.
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, November 16, 2015
Who doesn’t like nostalgia?
But nostalgia for one person might be ancient history for another. But good nostalgia can strike a chord with many people.
Nostalgia can liven fiction and stand on its own. If given the proper treatment, it can become an “evergreen.”
We will look at the writings and the process of several notable writers, veterans in the field of nostalgia. They have preserved a world and within those words are inspiration, fascination, humor, and pathos, and since it is all based on real events, often from known names, we can relate to the universals.
The many horror stories, success stores, emotional upheavals and poignant aftermath of events past, take on a personal meaning in the world of nostalgia.
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, October 26, 2015
How does a book writer, artist, performer/musician, or filmmaker get noticed by professional critics and bloggers, in today’s cacophony of 500 channels, Netflix, and YouTube — especially if they’re small-press, self-published, or an “indie” filmmaker or performer? And just as important, what qualities do critics want to see (and avoid!) in what they’re reviewing? What sets paid/professional film, TV, book, and arts criticism apart in today’s world of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Blogspot “film critics” and “political commentators?” What is the ROLE of the professional critic in today’s society — and can you become one yourself?
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, October 26, 2015
How does a book writer, artist, performer/musician, or filmmaker get noticed by professional critics and bloggers, in today’s cacophony of 500 channels, Netflix, and YouTube — especially if they’re small-press, self-published, or an “indie” filmmaker or performer? And just as important, what qualities do critics want to see (and avoid!) in what they’re reviewing? What sets paid/professional film, TV, book, and arts criticism apart in today’s world of Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Blogspot “film critics” and “political commentators?” What is the ROLE of the professional critic in today’s society — and can you become one yourself?
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, September 28, 2015
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?
We will discuss techniques that help enliven and enrich books of memoir, and tools to sharpen your writing and organization skills. We’ll help you move to the next level of your work.
We will discuss…
[To read more, click the title!]
Panel
Monday, September 28, 2015
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?
We will discuss techniques that help enliven and enrich books of memoir, and tools to sharpen your writing and organization skills. We’ll help you move to the next level of your work.
We will discuss…
[To read more, click the title!]
