Track instructor: Drusilla Campbell

alcium builds strong bones and Pilates powers the body's core muscles. Without those bones and muscles human beings would resemble amoebas, blobs, nothing most of us would care to hang around with. Experienced writers know that a good novel has essential bones and core muscles too and without them you haven't got much more than a collection of words and characters most of us would not care to read. Some authors say there's no better way to learn the craft of writing than to write a novel. Unfortunately that can take anywhere from a year to a lifetime to accomplish and there's no guarantee at the end that you will know where you went right...and wrong...and how to write a winner next time around.

The Novel Cram is designed for authors who want to get it right the first time. This track involves intense hours of working alone, with Drusilla Campbell, and in small groups to create a scene-by-scene outline for a full-length novel. Though Campbell does not advocate outlining your own novel in detail before writing, working through the process under her guidance will enable students to understand how the bones and muscles of craft give a novel narrative drive, create rising tension and suspense, and enroll the reader in the story. Characterization, scene building, narrative, point of view — The Novel Cram track enables a practical understanding of these and dozens of other characteristics of successful commercial novels.

Writers registering for this track will begin work on Friday and complete their outline by noon on Sunday. Enrollment is limited and attendance at all sessions is required. Expect to work long hours and leave the conference exhausted, exhilarated and eager to work on your own project.

Please note that this track requires a minimum number of participants and will be removed from the schedule if not met.

DRUSILLA CAMPBELL's first published work, Piper, What Song? was named one of the year's best science-fiction short stories. She is the author of ten published novels, including the best-selling Hopewell Saga, Wildwood and The Edge of the Sky. She co-authored Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace: A Guide for Management, is a manuscript consultant who often works with emerging writers and teaches different aspects of professional writing for the University of California, San Diego. Blood Orange is her most recent novel from Kensington Press.