Class Descriptions

Note: Sessions 1 & 2 (Friday Intensive Workshops) are optional, pre-conference sessions. These sessions are not included in the complete or basic conference registration packages. To attend these sessions, you must add one of the Friday Intensive options during the registration process. Please see the registration fees page for more information.

Friday Morning (9:00 AM - Noon)

  1. SEEING AND HEARING IS CREATING: CHARACTER AND PLOT DEVELOPMENT USING POINT OF VIEW AND VOICE: David B. Coe
  2. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: WRITING ARTICLES FOR MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS AND WEBSITES: Chuck Sambuchino
  3. THE BUSINESS OF PUBLISHING: Jessica Regel
  4. EDITING ISN'T FOR KIDS: THE YOUNG ADULT/CHILDREN'S MARKETS FROM AN EDITING POINT OF VIEW: Molly O'Neill
  5. AM I DONE NOW?: EDITING, FROM THE FIRST PARAGRAPH TO THE LAST PERIOD: Carrie McCullough

Friday Afternoon (1:30 - 4:30 PM)

  1. THAT'S DIFFERENT..: GET POSITIVE ATTENTION FROM EDITORS AND FIND OUT WHAT MIGHT HURT!: James Frenkel
  2. FROM RESEARCH TO THE DOTTED LINE: WHAT WRITER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FINDING, SIGNING WITH AN AGENT: Mollie Glick
  3. THE FOUR PS OF NONFICTION: PLATFORM, PROPOSAL, PROSE AND PURPOSE: Matthew Frederick
  4. NUTS & BOLTS: DEADLINES, WORD COUNTS AND OTHER THINGS THAT DRIVE US NUTS AND MAKE US WANT TO BOLT: David B. Coe
  5. AVOID THE SLUSH: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AGENTS BEFORE YOU WRITE THAT QUERY LETTER: Chuck Sambuchino

Saturday Morning (9:00 - 10:15 AM)

  1. COURTING A QUERY: TIPS TO CATCH AN AGENT: Melissa Jeglinski
  2. MAKING IT TO PRINT (OF SORTS): WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET A REVIEW (AND OTHER MEDIA ATTENTION)?: Bill Starr
  3. IT'S NOT JUST THE STORY: LEARNING WAYS TO TELL THE BACKSTORY OF YOUR CHARACTERS: Lisa Tucker
  4. SLUSHFEST: LITERARY AND UPMARKET FICTION: Jon Sternfeld and Stephanie Sun
  5. IT REALLY HAPPENED: WHAT AGENTS EXPECT IN YOUR NON-FICTION PROPOSAL: Stephen Barr

Saturday Late Morning (10:30 - 11:45 AM)

  1. FROM CO-AUTHOR TO INDEPENDENT BESTSELLING AUTHOR: THE JOURNEY OF AN AUTHOR: Andrew Gross
  2. SLUSH FEST: YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN'S TITLES: Alyssa Eisner Henkin and Molly O'Neill
  3. WRITING ISN'T A RACE: PACING AND STORY ARC: David B. Coe
  4. CASE SOLVED: FINDING WAYS TO GRAB A MYSTERY EDITOR'S EYE: Toni Plummer
  5. BEING AN EXPERT CAN PAY: Matthew Frederick
  6. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: TIPS ON WRITING DYNAMIC QUERY LETTERS: Mollie Glick

Saturday Afternoon (1:30 - 2:45 PM)

  1. SLUSHFEST: SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY: Eddie Schneider and James Frenkel
  2. NOT A KIDS' GAME: MAKING YOUR YOUNG ADULT AND CHILDREN'S MANUSCRIPTS EDITOR-READY WORKS: Molly O'Neill
  3. RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME FOR PROFIT: LEARNING THE TRICKS OF TRAVEL WRITING: Bill Starr
  4. USING YOUR HEAD TO TOUCH HEARTS: CRAFTING GRIPPING SCENES: Lisa Tucker
  5. A LITTLE VERB, A LITTLE NOUN: CREATING A SYNOPSIS THAT SELLS: Stephanie Sun
  6. LET'S TALK ABOUT GENRES: LEARNING HOW TO CATEGORIZE YOUR WORK AND OTHER NAMES AGENTS MIGHT CALL IT: Mollie Glick

Saturday Late Afternoon (3:00 - 4:15 PM)

  1. IMAGINARY WORLDS: THE DIFFERENCES AGENTS CONSIDER BETWEEN YOUNG ADULT AND ADULT FICTION: Sarah LaPolla
  2. DON'T FORGET THE DETAILS: DEVELOPING FANTASY SETTINGS AND MAGIC SYSTEMS: David B. Coe
  3. WHAT EDITORS WANT: PROFESSIONAL WRITING PRACTICES: Chuck Sambuchino
  4. IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD: HOW TO GET ACROSS LITERARY AND OTHER STORY-DRIVEN CONCEPTS IN A QUERY: Jon Sternfeld
  5. SLUSHFEST: MYSTERY AND THRILLER: Sorche Fairbank and Toni Plummer
  6. I'M PUBLISHED - NOW WHAT?: Bill Starr

Sunday Morning (9:30 - 10:45 AM)

  1. OUT OF THIS WORLD: AN INSIDE LOOK & TIPS OF WHAT IT TAKES TO GET A SCIENCE FICTION OR FANTASY AGENT: Eddie Schneider
  2. SLUSHFEST: ROMANCE AND WOMEN'S FICTION: Melissa Jeglinski and Jessica Regel
  3. SLUSHFEST: MEMOIR AND NARRATIVE NON-FICTION: Stephen Barr and Bernadette Baker-Baughman
  4. PANEL: AGENT VS. WRITER/EDITOR: Sorche Fairbank and Chuck Sambuchino
  5. NARRATIVE STRATEGY: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE OPENING OF A MANUSCIPT?: James Frenkel
  6. SMALL STEPS, BIG BOOKS: EFFECTIVE SMALL STEPS TO BEING A PUBLISHED WRITER: Matthew Frederick

Please note: Although unlikely, workshops may be cancelled or substituted without notice.