THE WRITE TIME TEENS ‘N TWENTIES WRITERS CONFERENCE
THE WORKSHOPS
We are presenting 16 dynamic workshops on all aspects of writing and publishing, featuring authors, editors and agents throughout the United States. The workshops are designed to give you great tools and strategies to use in your writing — immediately! They include:
SESSION ONE: 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Writing Memoir, Getting Published
Verna Dreisbach • Dreisbach Literary Management • Sacramento, CA
Our resident literary agent, Verna Dreisbach, pulls double-duty in this essential workshop for everyone who wants to learn the ropes of the book publishing business. Learn how to get from idea to agent to publisher, and how to submit your materials. In the other half of the session, Verna will discuss her first love as a writer — the literary memoir. Verna will show how our life stories contain the seeds for riveting memoir.
How to Get That Freelance Assignment
Malcolm Abrams • Bloom Magazine • Bloomington, IN
In his 40-year career working primarily in New York City, Malcolm Abrams, editor and publisher of Bloom Magazine, has purchased a thousand freelance stories, hired a hundred journalists, and interviewed scores of students seeking internships. His seminar will focus on the application letter, the interview, and making a good first impression.
Novel Building
Missy Feller • Bosse High School • Evansville, IN
What goes into building a novel? How do you create and develop plot lines, conduct research and put characters together? What is narrative arc and why is it crucial? Why is backstory so important? How do you organize all the notes and materials so that you can concentrate on writing? Missy Feller will answer these and other questions in this vital workshop for all current and future novelists and fictionists.
Leadership and Service Through Writing
Michelle Henderson & Dr. Melissa Keller • Writing Unlimited • Bloomington, IN
Did you know that using writing as the basis for community service projects can lead to college scholarships and internships? Join us to discover the possibilities! Writing can be a fun and creative experience—and a way to help and inspire others. This workshop will include a list of ideas and resources for leadership and service projects involving writing, as well as providing opportunities to brainstorm and network with others who would like to design and carry out writing-related service projects.
SESSION TWO: 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Telling the Truth: Ordinary Courage for Writers of All Kinds
Beth Lodge-Rigal, Greta Hind & Kim Flowers Evans • Women Writing for Change, Bloomington, IN
Explore what it takes to get to the “truth” of your story, whether it’s your memoir, your creative non-fiction, your poems, short stories or your novel. This is an experiential workshop where writing and sharing will take place in a brief, but potent writing circle.
Viral Readership: Writing Online
Vicki Davis
Fall In Love!
Joe Lee • Illustrator & Author • Bloomington, IN
A career in the arts is fraught with peril. Rejection, misunderstanding, and compromise await the budding artist at every turn. How can one persevere to success? There is only one way: fall in LOVE! Graphic novelist Joe Lee will tell his own love story with the arts and using anecdotes from the careers of many other visual and verbal artists will explain this fundamental relationship between the artist and their art.
Songwriting
Sophia Travis
SESSION THREE: 2:15 to 3:30 p.m.
Writers Write: Backing Into a Career
Dana Carpender • Bestselling Author • Bloomington, IN
Perhaps the most common question an author hears is, "How did you get a publisher?" The accepted order is to write a proposal, find a publisher to accept it, and then start writing. Dana Carpender did it the other way around: She started writing about what interested her, and figured the audience would follow. She was right. After she'd sold 13,000 copies of a self-published book, she didn't need to find a publisher — they were coming after her. Learn how to turn your passion for writing into a career in this workshop.
Write for Life
Dee Burt • The Edge Alternative High School • Ellettsville, IN
Writing can help you to identify, reflect and clarify your life, and gain guidance and understanding of your life path. Between the lines, you uncover the missing connection to your passions. Prompted free writes and discussion will help you begin to tap into your intuition and goals and link into your purpose in this active workshop.
Playing With Words
Jim Walker • 8-2-6 Indy • Indianapolis, IN
Sometimes the best writing comes by accident. Writers can make these fortuitous accidents happen by using collaboration, spontaneous approaches and game play. The result is often fun and strikingly original creative writing full of original wordplay and rich, dreamlike imagery. We'll learn how these work and play some writing games together - and all leave with some writing of our own.
Socially Conscious Poetry
For centuries, poets have used their work to call attention to social issues, or to promote and provoke social change. Learn ways of turning your poetry into calls for justice, rights, environmental awareness, and your favorite causes. Make your stanzas sing with a voice intent on promoting positive change.
SESSION FOUR: 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Always the Write Time
Bob Hammel • Herald-Times • Bloomington, IN
Traditional journalism clearly is taking a hard hit from the economy, but there will always be a place for people who can write clearly, concisely, informatively and entertainingly. Veteran newspaper columnist and writer Bob Hammel takes you through the ins and outs of journalism, and ways to turn your writing subjects into published articles.
Universalizing Your Experiences
Bob Yehling • Word Journeys, Inc. • Sturgis, KY
The greatest writers have one thing in common: they universalize experiences, whether their own, others’ or their characters’. Work with specific techniques to find the universal truth or theme to your experiences that connect instantly with readers and create those “A-Ha!” moments that hit our hearts and souls, and keep us turning pages. Knowing how to take your experiences to the deepest level in your writing is critical, especially for memoir writers, novelists and essayists.
Playwriting
Breshaun Joyner • Bloomington Playwrights Project • Bloomington, IN