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June 1-25, 2010
“Character-Driven Plotting”
by CJ Lyons
$30 at www.WriterUniv.com
Whether you’re a plotter or a pantzer, you still need to tell a story. And to tell a compelling story, you need characters driven to take action. In this highly interactive workshop, national bestseller CJ Lyons shows how to let your character do the driving as you move your plot forward. Using simple methods that you’ll not only remember but can also apply daily to your writing life, CJ will give you the tools you need to empower your creativity, amp up your plotting, and energize your writing!
* A look at Plotting 101: What is story?
* The ancient secrets of story telling
* How to build three-dimensional characters
* How to brainstorm like DaVinci
* World building and block busting
* Theme: it’s not a four letter word
* Tools for a Writer’s Survival Kit
As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about. In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, she is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. Publishers Weekly called her first novel, LIFELINES, a breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller.” Her second, WARNING SIGNS, was published by Berkley in January, 2009, followed by URGENT CARE in November. To learn more about CJ and her work, go to www.cjlyons.net.
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June 1-25, 2010″Building The Fiction Pitch, Step By Step”by Janet Wellington$30 at www.WriterUniv.com
You’ve completed the manuscript of a story you love, and now all it needs is a home. Time for the next step: marketing your story to an agent and/or editor at a writing conference you’ve just decided to attend. The thing is, you might be the most talented writer on the planet — but if you can’t describe your story in an exciting but succinct way during a pitching opportunity or appointment, you could be in real trouble.
By taking this course you’ll learn:
* What to do when preparing to pitch* Anatomy of a pitch; different lengths you’ll need and why* Techniques to help you analyze your story* The biggest mistake writers make in pitching their stories* How to craft the opening for your pitch* The top benefit of an editor/agent appointment at conferences* How to design a pitch for individual and group appointments* What to say — and not say — if they want more
Janet Wellington is an award-winning author, writing teacher, and line-editor for both published and not-yet-published writers. She started learning the art of pitching stories in 1995 when she attended her first Romance Writers of America national conference, and hasn’t stopped since! She has presented workshops on the art of pitching both regionally and nationally, and now teaches online. Read more about her at www.janetwellington.com.
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June 7-18, 2010
MASTER CLASS: “The First Five Pages”
by Mary Buckham
$55 at www.WriterUniv.com
Prerequisite: Bring the first 5 pages of YOUR manuscript and come prepared to dig in and have fun. You may be surprised at what you’ll learn!
The FIRST FIVE PAGES: or What it takes to break into fiction and why getting it right the first time is so important. The first five pages of your manuscript can make or break you. In this hands-on workshop you’ll explore:
* What hooks are
* How to identify hooks in your writing
* Are you using hooks in all the right places
* Are you creating an empathetic character or not
* What’s the goal and is it clear
* Setting the stage to anchor the reader
* Creating story questions
Mary Buckham is co-author of BREAK INTO FICTION: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells and an award-winning Romantic Suspense author. She has hundreds of free-lance articles to her credit, a non-fiction book and is a former Magazine Editor. Currently she is a national writing-workshop presenter both on-line and at conferences and wherever writers meet around the country. Mary encourages you to visit her website at www.MaryBuckham.com for more information about her and her current writing projects.
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