WORDSTOCK FOR WRITERS
Wordstock for Writers is a series of workshops on the craft of writing that will take place during the book festival on Saturday, October 13, and Sunday, October 14 at the Oregon Convention Center. Writers of all levels and experience, and all genres will have the opportunity to work with some of the finest writers in the country.
All Wordstock for Writers workshops will be in Oregon Convention Center rooms D139 and D140 in the Minuteman Press Team Writer's Workshop area (Salon area).
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Please click on the workshop below for more details
What’s So Funny? Using Humor in YA and Children’s Books
Saturday, October 13: 9:00-10:15
Kim Baker
Learn what makes kids and teens think something is funny, along with the different humor techniques that you can use to ease tension, convey character, move a story along and make your readers laugh (in a good way).
Researching and Writing the Lives of Women
Saturday, October 13: 9:00-10:15
Kimberly Jensen
This workshop will feature resources to help participants discover more about how to research the lives of women, including online databases, bibliographies, archival and historical collections, and local newspapers in both digital and microfilm formats.
No More Heaving Bosoms: Writing and Publishing Modern Erotica and Romance Novels
Saturday, October 13: 10:30-11:45
Shanna Germain
With the runaway success of 50 Shades of Grey, publishers are clamoring for modern stories of sex and love. Writers will learn how erotic and romance novels have changed, what publishers are looking for today, and how to plan, write and propose their novels.
Writing Memorable Characters – for young writers
Saturday, October 13: 10:30-11:45
Joëlle Anthony
Joëlle Anthony teaches you how to create quick characters to get you writing, examines the character clichés that permeate books, and explains how to avoid them. Learn to make even the smallest character in your fiction well-rounded and memorable.
Crafting a Killer First Page
Saturday, October 13: 12:00-1:15
Ray Rhamey
In this interactive workshop, we'll critique the first pages of novels by unpublished writers to learn what works and what doesn't. Students with novels in progress are invited to email their first chapter to the presenter-- ray@rayrhamey.com--for inclusion in the critique part of the workshop.
Inviting Little Red Riding Hood, The Oracle, and the Coat of Many Colors into our Poems
Saturday, October 13: 12:00-1:15
Willa Schneberg
In this workshop we will utilize myth, fairy tales, parables, legends from world spiritual traditions to discover how Indra’s web or a gnome may belong in our poems. Handouts of poems will serve as prompts for our journey through the forest. There will be time to attempt a first draft, and to share work.
Nonfiction Writing: Not Just the Facts Ma’am
Saturday, October 13: 1:30-2:45
Ruth A. Musgrave
Great nonfiction writing is more than just facts. Nonfiction, like fiction, needs extraordinary first sentences and first paragraphs to draw the reader in. It also needs a voice and a story that keeps the reader reading to the end.
Triage: A Better Way to Revise
Saturday, October 13: 1:30-2:45
Peter Zuckerman
What’s the difference between a successful and unsuccessful writer? Not connections or talent. Usually it’s how well the writer revises, and most people use the wrong approach.
Right from the Start: Turning up the Heat in Your Short Story’s Opening
Saturday, October 13: 3:00-4:15
Nicole Louise Reid
We all know how important first impressions are, so why do we let our stories meander? In this workshop, we’ll consider published models of gripping openings, then turn a critical eye to your own story’s start to help you truly capture your reader.
Your Writing Environment
Saturday, October 13: 3:00-4:15
Joe Bianco
With decades of experience as a journalist, magazine editor, nonfiction writer and publisher, I know how to write, how to supervise other writers, and how to motivate and prevent “satisfaction” that dulls writing. I can teach you how to be interesting and confident and get your story!
Book Publicity: The Lowdown for Authors
Saturday, October 13: 4:30-5:45
Jessica Glenn
Agents and publishers don't just want a good book, they want a book that will sell. Creating a publicity plan before approaching publishers helps resonant the strength of the pitch. In this class, Jessica Glenn will lead participants through the 3 phases of book publicity from six months before the date of release to a month after the release. Come away with a self-created outline, which can be used as a guide for external pitches or for your own campaign.
Keep Talking: Discovering and Revealing Character through Dialogue
Saturday, October 13: 4:30-5:45
Scott Sparling
Great dialogue brings writing alive; lame dialogue drains its power. We’ll look at three types of dialogue and what makes each work, with many examples from contemporary fiction. Bring your favorite or least favorite lines and we’ll start seeing the patterns behind great dialogue.
Breaking into Mystery
Sunday, October 14: 9:00-10:15
Natalie Serber
We all know Freytag’s triangle, the satisfying story shape (inciting incident, rising action, crisis and denouement) that follows the pattern of jokes and sex. How do we expand our well-behaved, satisfying stories to fully burst into the mystery and unpredictability of human experience.
Your Foot in the Door
Sunday, October 14: 9:00-10:15
Janice Hussein
Are Submission Critiques enough to push your publishing dream into reality? Learn how to distill that 80K-word novel into an effective 1-page query and 1- to 2-page synopsis--what to include and exclude to gain an agent's/ editor's interest.
Mailbox Full of Money: Find & Flex Your Most Prosperous Writing Ideas
Sunday, October 14: 10:30-11:45
Christina Katz
Find out how to break your favorite topics into consistent writing projects and reinforce your professional status with every published clip in this fun, interactive session.
Tell it Out Loud! Performance for Writers
Sunday, October 14: 10:30-11:45
Megan Stielstra and Amanda Delheimer Dimond of 2nd Story
You know who you are. You're a writer, and you'd like to start performing your work. 2nd Story can help arm you with tools for your body, your voice, and your nerves, in a safe and fun environment. Think you can't learn basic performance skills that make a difference in an hour? Give us a try.
Obsession x Voice
Sunday, October 14: 12:00-1:15
Yuvi Zalkow
This workshop will discuss two qualities that can help a writer when creating just about anything: an obsession with a particular subject, and a unique voice to tell about that particular subject. This is applicable to fiction, essays, blogs, etc. Come to class prepared to talk about a project that you want to analyze with this lens.
CANCELED, Mining for Gold: How to Dig Deep and Hit the Mother Lode
Sunday, October 14: 12:00-1:15
Kim Barnes
Through the use of workshop-generated examples, this workshop will provide writers of every level with a few simple techniques on how to "go vertical" and develop a sentence into a dynamite scene that adds dramatic depth and thematic resonance to their fiction and/or nonfiction narratives.
Breaking the Conventions of Memoir: the Art of Speculation
Sunday, October 14: 1:30-2:45
Gregory Martin
How can you (of all people!) write about a family member you never met, from a time before you were born or a place you never visited? What are the rules? Says who? This seminar will explore the art of speculation.
Art Is Nothing Without Form
Sunday, October 14: 1:30-2:45
Whitney Otto
Thinking about story structure is about as glamorous and sexy as well, thinking about story structure. But here's the thing, an architect would never embark on a building without a blueprint, and a writer must have some sort of armature on which to hang story. This workshop will offer practical solutions to narrative structure. As an added bonus, working out how you will tell your story can often be the perfect antidote for writers' block. As Flaubert wrote to his mistress, Louise Colet, "one must not always think that feeling is everything. Art is nothing without form."
The Anti-Hero’s Journey: Basic Story Structure for the Unconventional Author
Sunday, October 14: 3:00-4:15
James Bernard Frost
Just because your characters are unusual doesn’t mean your story should ramble. This basic story structure course will explore the traditional hero’s journey story arc, and how to apply it to offbeat characters and settings.
Starting a series: What you need to know before you sit down to write
Sunday, October 14: 3:00-4:15
April Henry
New York Times-bestselling novelist April Henry has written three series, and is starting a fourth. Learn the secrets for setting up a series. Includes tips from series writers about what they did right - and what they wish they had done differently.
Top 10 Success Strategies for Writing More and Selling More
Sunday, October 14: 4:30-5:45
Sage Cohen
Sage Cohen, author of The Productive Writer, will share the top 10 ways to exponentially increase the results and rewards of your writing life—for any genre or level of experience. Includes a large packet of planning and dreaming tools.
Can Writing be Taught?: What to do to make the most of your college/MFA/conference creative writing learning experience
Sunday, October 14: 4:30-5:45
Gregory Spatz
In this session we’ll discuss the pitfalls and strengths of any kind of formalized study of creative writing. Why do so we seek instruction? What are we looking for? What gets in the way of learning, what helps? When it works, what does that look like? How can I become a better learner?
FAQs
Does my workshop ticket get me into the Book Fair?
Yes. Show your WFW ticket for free same-day admission to the Book Fair.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the workshop?
Yes. Your ticket allows entry to your workshop(s) and to the Book Fair, but only if you have it with you!
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to attend the workshops?
Wordstock for Writers has no age restrictions.
Where can I contact Wordstock with any questions?
info@bewordstock.org or 503.477.4361
