Sunday Workshops

This schedule includes workshops taught on Sunday, August 5th. 2008 Sunday workshops will be posted when they are available. The schedule is organized so that all the workshops on a track, beginning with Genres/General, are listed as they happen starting Friday morning to Sunday afternoon. Then the second track is listed and so on. A map to the Sheraton floor space is available for download. For example, Cascade A/B is a workshop space, while Genres/General is the name of a workshop track.

The Many Faces of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
An editor from renowned science fiction and fantasy publishing house Tor Books talks about how to break into speculative fiction publishing. She'll spend the first half of the workshop discussing science fiction, fantasy, and horror markets and agents, how to get noticed in the genre world, and other related topics. Then, in the second 45 minutes, we'll open the floor for questions both basic and arcane.

Technology and Crime
This Power Point class is an overview of computer technology, data-mining, listening devices, hidden cameras and unusual/disguised weapons. It answers the questions: What technology is really out there? What is likely to be used-and how? Study the new breed-digital detectives and cyber sleuths trained in bytes the way G-men were trained in fingerprints. Learn how they catch insider-traders, hackers, and violent criminals, doing what 95% of law enforcement cannot. Learn how they search websites, including the newest "underground" sites, to catch criminals, identify gang members and "troll" for pedophiles and other sex offenders.

Learn how crime mapping, geographic profiling and biometrics (including facial recognition and the newest fingerprinting techniques and controversies) are used to catch criminals. Learn how the BTK Killer and others were brought down by cyber-sleuths.

Learn about the technology, in use right now, that allows FBI entry into phone records, Discover how your own electronic equipment, even your car, is spying on you. Finally, learn the truth about identity chips.

Dream it, Plan it, Write it
Authors and experts must be ready on a moment's notice to do media interviews. Learn how to compress your message to fit TV and radio, sell your book without sounding like a shill, plus fatal interview errors to avoid and how to manage uninformed and antagonistic interviewers.

Genre	Room
Genres/General	Cascade A/B
Genres/General 2	Cascade C
Fiction	St Helens A
Fiction/General	St Helens B
Non-Fiction	Garden A/B
Children's/YA	Garden C
Film	Columbian A/B
Film2	Columbian C/D

The Legal and Business Aspects of Writing Fiction and Non-Fiction Books
The nuts and bolts of the business of writing are as essential to a writer's success as the writer's work itself. How does a television and film writer get an agent and an attorney? How does the writer's work get sold and how is the writer compensated? What will the agent and the lawyer do for the writer? How are they compensated? How do writers work together? Learn how the WGA Basic Agreement has an impact on all aspects of film and television writing--minimum compensation ("scale"), residuals, royalties, other payments, credit, etc.; a review, in detail, of a typical option/purchase agreement for a screenplay--option monies and term, purchase price, rights granted and rights withheld, etc., and a review of a series television employment agreement--episodic compensation, script guarantees, credit, etc.; the process of pitching a project to a producer, what happens if the producer rejects the project, and what happens if the project is accepted.

Learn the principles of copyright law as the underpinnings of all writing; what agents do and what lawyers do, how their functions sometimes overlap and how they differ; the process of obtaining an agent and a lawyer, when and why an agent is necessary and when and why an agent may not be necessary; how agents and lawyers are compensated by their clients; the content of a typical collaboration agreement and three reasons why they are an absolute necessity. Bring all your questions concerning the business of being or becoming a successful film and/or television writer--they will all be answered.

That's Not Funny: Getting Rid of the Serious Voices in Your Head
In order to take your writing to its most funny, most creative state (think Carl Hiassen, Dave Barry, or Janet Evanovich) you have to trust your inner comedian and let her out to play. Whether you write fiction, screenplays, memoirs, or greeting cards and t-shirts, this session will provide you simple ways to bolster your HQ (humor quotient) and learn how to move from simply amusing to "oh-no-I-wish-I'd-worn-Depends" funny. (If you are a SERIOUS WRITER, come learn why lightening up every now and then can bolster your creativity and flow.)

Taking Your Poetry Out of the Closet and Into the World
Make 2007 your year for getting your poetry in the public eye. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn from Sage Cohen about the seven habits of widely published poets. They will be supported in developing their own personal action plans that align their poetry with the publications and contests where they are most likely to get noticed. Sage Cohen has applied this strategy to win high-paying poetry contest prizes, writing residencies and scholarships -- and to place more than 30 poems, a dozen essays and several fiction pieces. You can, too.

Genre	Room
Genres/General	Cascade A/B
Genres/General 2	Cascade C
Fiction	St Helens A
Fiction/General	St Helens B
Non-Fiction	Garden A/B
Children's/YA	Garden C
Film	Columbian A/B
Film2	Columbian C/D

He Said/She Said
Writing, compelling characters can be daunting, especially when you're creating one whose gender is the opposite of yours (and so, akin to an alien life form). Novelists John Reed and Jennie Shortridge have amassed research and gained experience through their own published works to develop this fun and funny workshop, delving into what makes males and females tick and come to life on the page. Armed with a bevy of resources, intelligent exercises, and plenty of humor, John and Jennie will take you beyond stereotypes into the land of the living, breathing alien, the opposite sex.

Breaking in/Breaking Out
The criteria for breaking into the business is almost identical as the criteria for writing a break-out hit. This session will focus on what makes a novel stand out and demand the attention of editors and readers. Outcome: the student will aspire to a higher level of achievement through mastery of both fundamentals and subtleties.

I, You, Me
First person POV tends to be overused by novice writers. It may make you feel that you are really 'getting inside' that character, but if that doesn't translate to the page, then your first person narrative is flat, whether it's a character speaking or you, yourself, speaking in a personal narrative. So what is the difference between strong first person narrative and weak first person narrative? When should you simply switch to third person?

What Happens Next? Ask Your Protagonist!
When I began writing fiction, I sometimes had a strange, godlike feeling that I could make anything happen to my characters. However, some of the plots I evolved by this method didn't work at all! Now I believe that plot (what happens next) is inextricably bound up with and limited by character. In this session, I'll discuss her process of discovering "what happens next" in several of my novels, and how plot and character are connected. I'll suggest ways in which students might also generate satisfying character-based plots, and will provide a handout sheet with guidelines.

ABCs of Saleable Fiction: Agenda, Back Story, Conflict, and Setting
This hands-on, interactive seminar demonstrates techniques for managing the interplay of important narrative skills in order to create compelling, saleable fiction. This seminar can be taken as a stand-alone, or it can be taken as a continuation of -- and preparation for -- Mr. Witchey's other seminars.

Genre	Room
Genres/General	Cascade A/B
Genres/General 2	Cascade C
Fiction	St Helens A
Fiction/General	St Helens B
Non-Fiction	Garden A/B
Children's/YA	Garden C
Film	Columbian A/B
Film2	Columbian C/D

Opiniated Writing: Reviews
Do you love to tell people what you think, whether it's about the last movie you saw, a product you just bought or the worst restaurant food you ever tasted? This class offers an overview of the markets for reviews and shows what it takes to write them and get them published. Students will brainstorm ideas and learn where and how to submit their work. They will come away with outlines for the most common types of reviews and lists of places that publish them. Although most people think of book reviews, writers can also review plays, musical performances, restaurants, tours, new products and almost anything else that people can buy. Many of those reviews, published in newspapers, magazines and online zines, are written by freelancers.

Writing a Best Selling Self-Help Book
Self help books are a specific genre with set formats. Once you learn the basics of the self help world, you can write proposals and books that sell. This class will cover the rules of self help proposals and then discuss the technique Julie Fast uses to write clear, professional, creative and best selling self help books. This class is hands on and will end with a discussion of the fascinating world of agents, editors and contracts. Her writing philosophy is that writing a best selling book is as much about the business of writing as it is about having a great idea.

Part 1: Get Known Before the Book Deal: Platform Building Basics
If writers want to sign more contracts, you need to know our strengths and weaknesses through the eyes of the publishing industry pros, the media, and our readers. And you need to begin today, even if you have never published a single piece of writing. What's more, the keys to knowing yourself and getting known are skills every writer must hone sooner or later. Handouts will include several articles from Platform Development 101, Christina's column for The Willamette Writer and an slideshow outline that will help writers envision their best platform and how to build it step-by-step.

Break Into the Child/YA Magazine Market
A former magazine editor and freelance writer of 100+ articles leads you through activities to help you identify magazines that buy the writing you want to do; analyze any magazine's audience, format, subject matter, and writing style; and write a query that convinces editors you can nail the assignment.

Writing and Illustrating Stories for Kids of All Ages
I will show how words and pictures work together and play off each other in various categories of children's books (board books, picture books, chapter books, comics, etc) and how the balance of words and pictures changes in the different categories. I'll talk about the target market for each category, how to figure out where your story fits, and why it matters.

Getting to the Heart of Character
Character is the beating heart of every story; the glue that holds it all together; the engine that drives the train. What is it that makes characters memorable? And more importantly, how can we as writers create characters who are vivid, engaging, and three-dimensional � who will linger in the minds of readers long after the book is closed? In our search for the answers to these questions we'll explore such crucial aspects of our craft as voice, point of view, dialogue, description, and development.

Genre	Room
Genres/General	Cascade A/B
Genres/General 2	Cascade C
Fiction	St Helens A
Fiction/General	St Helens B
Non-Fiction	Garden A/B
Children's/YA	Garden C
Film	Columbian A/B
Film2	Columbian C/D

Screenwriting for F/X
This workshop will analyze case studies drawn from movies such as Minority Report, Matrix Reloaded, The Host, and Superman Returns. You will learn how scripts get interpreted during post-production by fx makers. By learning industry-level editorial processes, you'll know what F/X problems to anticipate--and how to head them off. A savvy writer can better position/describe those script aspects pertaining to special effects.

From Byline to Brand Name: Putting the "Me" in Media
A discussion and workshop designed to help writers devise self-marketing strategies in the Digital Age. Topics include re-examining what it means to be a writer/filmmaker in the age of blogs, MySpace and YouTube and how to use these tools; developing a cult of personality through one's work and brand identity; positioning oneself as an expert on anything; building a loyal, media-buying fan-base; effective PR strategies when you have neither a public or relations...and more.

Character Arc
While understanding action is essential, only when your character lives and changes throughout the three act structure does a screenplay elevate to being truly original. Learn the steps to creating character arc that effectively brings your characters to their moment of truth. Based on learnings from the Three Act Structure 101 workshop. Examples from Sidney Lumet's "The Verdict."

Ageism in the Writer's Marketplace
"Let's face it: Ageism exists in the writers' marketplace and the entertainment industry. But it doesn't have to. If you are able to produce fresh new product that will in turn make beaucoup bucks for the studios and networks you're working with, no one will notice your age. Arming yourself with knowledge of the current media marketplace will strengthen your pitch and your work. You'll no longer feel left out of the loop because you have 20+ years of credits, yet nothing you've pitched in the past five years has sold-and you just saw an idea you pitched 10 years ago premiere on a fabulous new cable network with a new trendy title. It's not the age you are, it's the age you present yourself to be. Get out of that ""land of media past"" and step into the future with this ageless new class.

If you're using shows like M.A.S.H. or St. Elsewhere within your current pitch for a new medical drama, or you're not sure what multi-platforming is, or you haven't ever visited YouTube.com, then you might experience some backlash from the folks within the arena that you are pitching and working within. Why? Because you're not keeping up with the current view. Don't let this happen to you. Take this class to learn how to stay current and to learn how to compete against your younger, more affordable fellow producers and to learn how to take back the airwaves as the baby-boomers rule beyond their 18-49 demo years."

Part II: Beyond the Pearly Gates: a Guide for Writers on Studio Accounting Practices, Film Distribution and Marketing Trends
Now that your script has been green-lit and turned into a major motion picture- what happens inside the pearly gates? How do I know if my film is profitable, what are the chances that the film will be profitable? This class takes a hard look at all the sources of revenue that a film can generate and then crosses those pluses against all the costs that were associated in making and marketing the film. This class will also look at the trends that are emerging in distribution and marketing that are affecting the way we conceive of projects and the marketplace in general.