WELCOME,
GULF COAST WRITERS!
Pursuing
a life-long dream of writing can be incredibly frustrating. Even
the most talented authors face constant rejection and criticism
until they take the time to learn what separates the successful
but lesser-talented writers from those who are gifted but have
experienced only limited success. Thousands of hopeful writers
strive to be professionally published while few ever realize their
dream. Here, in five compact powerful workshops, you'll learn
many of the secrets to breaking into print. Talent alone isn't
nearly enough; after all, how many poorly written best-selling
novels have you read?
If
you're a fiction writer, you'll learn how and why publishers
often choose to publish weaker manuscripts than your own and what
you can do to improve your chances of attracting positive attention.
If
you're considering self-publication, you'll learn what
to expect and whether or not your manuscript is "right"
for self-publication. After all, many of today's new publishers
paint a misleading picture of the results you may expect from
self-publication. You can waste considerable sums of money with
little, if any, benefit if you're not careful.
Relax
and enjoy the company of other local writers who share your dreams.
Space is limited but for those lucky few who register early, this
could be the difference between eternal rejection and first publication.
Taught by Michael Garrett, Stephen King's first editor and himself
an internationally published author, the Writing For Publication
series will give you a jump-start into the next level of the world
of publication.
WHEN:
Saturday - Sunday,
October 14 - 15, 2006
WHERE:
Blow Fly Inn
Highway
49
Gulfport,
MS
HOW
TO BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR
What
does it take to become a successfully published author? Like any
other profession, becoming a profess
ional
writer requires a career plan. Where should your initial focus
lie in order to meet your goal of publication? Success as a writer
requires far more than just sitting at the keyboard. Learn the
secrets to success in today’s competitive publishing industry,
including marketing techniques that move you closer to publication.
Your manuscript could be the greatest of its kind ever written,
but if you don’t know how to get it into the hands of the
right publisher, it may never see print. Taught by a professional
editor and internationally published author, HOW TO BECOME A PUBLISHED
AUTHOR discloses:
• How to keep your submissions out of the editor’s
“slush pile”
• How to overcome "writer's block"
• How to get editors to ask for your submission
• And much, much more!
You’ll meet other local writers with similar interests,
pick up valuable pointers and challenge your imagination as well.
One
Session
Saturday,
October 14, 2006
9:00 a.m. - Noon
Tuition: $55
THE
TRUTH ABOUT SELF-PUBLICATION
Traditionally,
self-publication, or the “Vanity Press,” has been
frowned upon for all but the most ambitious non-fiction writers.
Today, however, with the advent of print-on-demand publishing,
self-publication has become a low-cost solution for many writers
who wish to target a specific audience and maintain complete control
over their finished books. Self-publication is not for everyone;
however, with as little as a $400 investment, your professional-quality
book can be listed on Amazon.com and ready to market around the
world in only a few weeks. Learn how to make the most of this
exciting new technology and avoid the many hidden pitfalls of
self-publication before it's too late.
One
Session
Saturday,
October 14, 2006
1 :00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuition: $55
SCREENWRITING
FOR THE MOVIES
Hollywood
has never been more eager to buy cutting-edge motion picture scripts.
Have you ever thought about writing a movie? Screenwriting requires
a decidedly different approach from fiction writing; producers
look for specific qualities to distinguish one screenplay from
another. Here's a workshop designed to help beginners break into
an exciting career as a screenwriter! You'll view and analyze
film clips, as well as learn:
• Proper screenplay format
• Recommended screenplay development software
• Where and how to contact a Hollywood agent
• Effective storyline development procedures
• Creation of desirable roles to attract Hollywood's hottest
stars
• How to communicate with the audience through your script
and set design
One
Session
Saturday,
October 14, 2006
6 :00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Tuition: $55
CREATING
YOUR NOVEL
Writing a novel
requires an enormous investment of time; however, specific techniques
can make the task far more manageable. CREATING YOUR NOVEL offers
a step-by-step methodology to help 
you
produce a marketable first novel. Under the guidance of a professional
editor and internationally published author, you’ll formulate
a novel outline, create a cast of characters and decide which point
of view and structural form are most appropriate. Demonstrated techniques
are easily adaptable to your own work, regardless of your category
of interest. You’ll learn:
•
How to create realistic characters
•
What is the universal “formula” for a successful first
novel
•
How to target specific publishers before you even start writing
If you’ve already completed your novel, use what you’ll
learn to produce a more marketable rewrite.
One
Session,
Sunday, October 15,
2006
9 :00 a.m. - Noon
Tuition: $55
SHORT
STORY & NOVEL FEEDBACK
Most
short story and novel submissions are rejected within the first
few pages, regardless of how many pages were submitted. Editors
rarely read every word, and rejection slips seldom explain 
why
your manuscript fell short. Here's an opportunity to sit face-to-face
with a professional fiction editor who’s worked with such
noted authors as Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Lawrence Block
and others as he evaluates your submission. Finally, you'll learn
the most likely reasons for your manuscript's rejection, constructively
pointed out to you in a compassionate manner. Bring two copies
of the first five pages of your short story or novel manuscript
to class. If you prefer not to have your own writing reviewed,
you'll benefit by listening to the critiques of other manuscripts.
Discussions include:
• How editors evaluate submissions
• The importance of a strong opening
• Placement of essential manuscript ingredients
Don’t avoid feedback! You’ll be amazed at the degree
by which it will improve your writing.
One
Session
Sunday, October 15, 2006
1 :00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Tuition: $55
YOUR
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR:
Presenting
the secrets and strategies of writing for publication is MICHAEL
GARRETT,
Editorial Associate of the Writer's Digest School, first editor
of Stephen King and twenty-year veteran of teaching highly acclaimed
writing workshops . 
His own work has been widely published since 1979, in periodicals
ranging from Twilight Zone magazine to his novel, Keeper,
which sold out its initial printing and was optioned for a movie.
His short story, "At the Count of Three," was also optioned
as the pilot episode of a late night cable television series.
His works have been published in England, Germany, Japan, Italy,
the Netherlands, France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Finland
and Russia, as well as in audio book format.
Michael
serves as co-editor of the internationally award-winning Hot
Blood anthology series, a popular selection of the Doubleday,
Mystery, Literary Guild, and Science Fiction Book Clubs. The series
has also been optioned for television.
QUESTIONS?
Philip Levin
228-831-0042
