“The problem with unsuccessful stories is usually simple: they are boring, a consequence of the failure of imagination. To vividly imagine and to vividly render extraordinary human events, or sequences of events, is the hard-lifting, heavy-duty, day-by-day, unending labor of a fiction writer.”
–Tim O’Brien, National Book Award recipient
Good writing doesn’t necessarily equate to good storytelling. A good writer understands this. A good writer respects the needs of readers and aims to deliver not only a well-written book, but a well-crafted, vividly imagined story that exceeds the expectations of readers. Available only at the Southern California Writers’ Conference, StoryCore is an interactive 8-workshop track geared to elevating your novel or narrative nonfiction to the level required to successfully compete in today’s publishing world.
Addressing the fundamental building blocks of commercial storytelling, StoryCore is ideal for writers who have just the glimmer of an idea for a story, novelists whose story is written but simply not working, memoirists and nonfiction writers looking to reign in a story, or writers simply starting from scratch.
An extension of our regular slate of read & critique and craft & execution sessions, StoryCore provides writers a sequentially arranged immersion into the crafting of an engaging, book-length story, from beginning to end (though many of the tools, approaches and exercises we’ll be using are applicable to shorter work). While officially a stand-alone track, StoryCore is open to all conferees and does not require participation in every workshop.
LA14 StoryCore is comprised of the following sessions:
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Prolific author and regular workshop leader Frederick Ramsay discusses his first experiences attending the SCWC on his road to publication. The latest installment in Fred’s Ike Schwartz Mystery series, The Vulture, is out now from Poisoned Pen Press.