Ahh, winter in SoCal and we’re less than a month away from our San Diego conference. That means the weather is fine and, as evidenced by the quality of material received thus far, the writing is hot. From rip-snortin’ adventure to deeply moving memoirs and fantastical coming-of-age journeys, we’re seeing writers willing to put in the work—and it shows on each and every page. And while the preliminary deadline for advance submissions has past, most readers are still accepting pages at this time. If you’re considering submitting, be sure to check the corresponding bio page upon registration to ensure availability…
Much of the working SD29 schedule has been posted. There’s a few workshops that we’re still debating, as well as the inevitable shuffling of time slots over the next couple of weeks, so hold off on planning your personal itinerary until everything is dialed in. Check the Workshops and Events page to view all the currently slated sessions at a glance (some are not yet posted to the schedule).
StoryCore Track and Latest Workshops
The 2-day, 8-workshop StoryCore: Building the Better Book line-up has been posted. Open to all conferees, StoryCore provides writers seeking a clear, pragmatic and linear progression through the crafting of a novel or narrative nonfiction story in a single track Saturday and Sunday. Participate in all or only those you wish, advance sign-up is not required:
- “Breaking Down The Story Beats”
- “Incident Response and Motivation”
- “Character Therapy: And You’re the Shrink!”
- “Speak To Me: Dialogue in Story”
- “POV: The Power of Perspective”
- “Plot vs. Character: What’s Driving Your Story?”
- “Making Your Story Work: Voice, Point of View, and Tension”
- “Editing for Pantsers: What to Focus on in the First Draft and What to Clean Up Later”
What with such debate raging over the pros and cons of Amazon’s new Kindle Unlimited program, we would be remiss to not substantively address the importance of indie authors not marrying their work exclusively to the e-book behemoth’s distribution outlet. Laura Taylor, as usual, is on the forefront of those working ahead of the curve, which will veer even more sharply, costing writers even more revenue, in the near future. Her workshop, “Indie Excellence: ‘Glocalization’ and the Key to Survival,” reveals the numbers, strategy and tactics that savvy writers must know if they’re to sever risky co-dependency on Amazon.
Plenty other workshops have also been added so be sure to have a look, but that’s all for now. If you haven’t, also check out the first post in our new SCWC blog, “To Reclaim the Joy of Writing.” Discounted pre-registration ends soon. You’ve earned it, so why not start the New Year—Write!
–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC
