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A Weekend for Words
September 26–28, 2008
Founded and run by professional writers the SCWC provides veteran and emerging talent authoritative guidance to help distinguish material that is ready for market consideration, having facilitated some $3 million worth of first-time authors' book and screen deals. With extended one-on-one evaluation of advance submissions and dozens of read & critique and Q&A workshops available, the SCWC is uniquely tailored to empower the writer with the vital tools, networking and industry experience needed to sell their work. So whether you're a writer unable to determine why your work's not working, a writer simply in search of some answers, a writer wanting feedback on what you've written, a writer just starting out, or just a writer who wants to hang with other writers, join us for the Sixth Annual Southern California Writers' Conference *Los Angeles (in Irvine). Your words are worth it!

La Jolla Writers Conference 8th Annual
La Jolla Writers Conference
November 7-9, 2008
Paradise Point Resort & Spa
The La Jolla Writers Conference welcomes writers of all levels of experience. It features nteractive workshops, lectures and presentatiions by an outstanding and freely accessable faculty comprised of best-selling authors, editors from major pulishing houses and literary agents.

Writing Seminars

For the very first time in the Festival’s history, six intensive 2-hour writing seminars are being offered featuring worldwide renowned writers in an intimate setting – only 50 seats per seminar!

·  Tickets will be open to the general public when the Festival program is published in the Sunday, April 20th edition of the Los Angeles Times.
·  Tickets cost $100 per seminar. 
·  Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1209582/ or at select Ticketmaster locations, including Ritmo Latino, Beverly Center and select Macy’s locations.  Only 50 seats are available!  Tickets are not available over the phone.

Ron Carlson
Saturday, April 26th, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Title:  The Short Story:  Surviving the Draft

Celebrated author Ron Carlson will lead this 2-hour seminar with a lecture including samples of fiction from his work and others that illustrate the craft of fiction writing and the way forward into the darkness.  His primary focus will be on the short story and will talk about the entire process: idea to draft, with all notes in between focusing on surviving the draft.  A Q & A session will be incorporated towards the end of the seminar.

Novelist and short story writer Ron Carlson has received citations in Best American Short Stories twelve times since 1984. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including Harper’s and GQ. He is the author of two story collections, “Plan B for the Middle Class” and “The News of the World”, and three novels, the most recent of which, “Five Skies”is his first adult novel in more than 20 years. Ron currently teaches at University of California, Irvine.

Thomas Curwen
Saturday, April 26th, 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Title:  Bring on the Lions:  Writing the Non-fiction Narrative from the Inside Out

Human beings are hard-wired for narratives. We fall effortless into the spell of a good story, and there is no greater game than capturing a portrait of life that keeps readers hanging on until the bitter end. Yet the road to writing a successful narrative is dark and perilous. It is also both an art and science. It begins with sound reporting and a love of language. It combines strategic pacing with a jazzman's sense of rhythm. You must be a strong writer, a good editor -- and finally, you must love what you're doing. In this seminar, Thomas Curwen will have an extended conversation about the writing and pleasure of a good story. So bring pen and paper, and be ready to write, talk and discuss the meaning of this wonderfully foolhardy endeavor.

Thomas Curwen is an editor at large for the Los Angeles Times.  He has a master's degree in Creative Writing from USC and was a recipient of a 1991 Academy of American Poets prize. In 2002, he received a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for mental health journalism.

A. Scott Berg

Saturday, April 26th, 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Title:  Biography:  Telling Lives

A. Scott Berg will conduct a two-hour seminar on Life Writing in its various incarnations--including “objective” biography, autobiography, psychobiography, memoirs, and diaries. Part lecture, part question-and-answer period, the class will examine some of the elements that go into the writing of life stories--selecting a topic, primary research, interviews, secondary research, organizing and analyzing material, writing and rewriting techniques.

A. Scott Berg is a renowned biographer of  "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius," for which he received the National Book Award, "Goldwyn: A Biography”, which bestowed upon him a Guggenheim Fellowship, and "Lindbergh”, for which he was awarded 1999's Pulitzer Prize for biography.  His most recent book is a memoir of a legendary star Katharine Hepburn, called, "Kate Remembered."  He is currently working on a biography of Woodrow Wilson.

Jane Smiley
Sunday, April 27th, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Title:  Write a Novel in Two Hours!

Or not! What is a novel? How do you write one? Novelist Jane Smiley will use material from her book, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel”, to illustrate some of the ways an aspiring writer might approach his or her own ambition to write a novel. Lecture, Q and A, and discussion will be interspersed throughout the two hours. Seminar participants may read the two chapters in Thirteen Ways entitled "A Novel of Your Own, part 1" and "A Novel of Your Own, part 2", but advanced preparation is not essential. 

Jane Smiley is one of the most beloved novelists and author of more than ten works of fiction.  She is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, and in 2001 was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She received the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature in 2006. Her latest novel is “Ten Days in the Hills”.  Smiley lives in Northern California.

Robert Pinsky
Sunday, April 27th, 12:30pm – 2:30pm
Title:  Listening to Words:  The Vocality of Poetry

Robert Pinsky will lead this 2 hour seminar by concentrating on the physical materials of poetry: the sounds of vowels and consonants arranged to make words and sentences. As when someone is noodling at a piano or shooting baskets or playing with paints or whittling, the physical material sometimes draws out ideas and feelings. The group will view some of the Favorite Poem Project videos from the DVD included with an Invitation to Poetry.  A Q & A session will be incorporated towards the end of the seminar.

Robert Pinsky, an American poet and former Poet Laureate of the United States, is the author of several collections of poetry, most recently, “Gulf Music: Poems”.  He received the 1997 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize and was a Pulitzer Prize nominee for “The Figured Wheel: New and Collected Poems 1966-1996”.  He is also the author of several prose titles, including “The Sounds of Poetry”, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Stephen J. Cannell
Sunday, April 27th, 3:00pm – 5:00pm

Title:  Television, Film and Bestselling Novels

Stephen J. Cannell will lecture on how to adapt a novel to the screen.  He will talk about modifying and condensing material without compromising its creative content, how to interface with the marketplace and get your work seen, as well as tips on construction when writing novels, screenplays and for television.  A Q & A session will be incorporated towards the end of the seminar. 

Stephen J. Cannell is the bestselling author of numerous novels, including the critically acclaimed Shane Scully series, which includes his latest installment, “Three Shirt Deal”.  He is one of television's most prolific writers, having created or co-created more than 40 shows, including The A-Team and 21 Jump Street.  Cannell has received multiple awards including the Marlow Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Writers of America and the WGA Paddy Chaefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement.                                   
           
For more information on the Festival of Books Writing Seminars, please contact Elizabeth Samson at xcxesamson@tribune.com or go to www.latimesfestivalofbooks.com

Screenwriting Resources

Wordplay - Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's extensive website that gives a firsthand perspective on what it takes to make it in Hollywood. Terry grew up in Orange County, having attended Cal State Fullerton and Saddleback High School - the one team my high school could never beat when I was still playing football. Their credits include the Cannes opening modern day fairytale classic Shrek, The Mask of Zorro, The Road to El Dorado, Aladdin, and Small Soldiers. You can lose yourself for hours in this site, and I highly recommend that you do.

American Screenwriters Association - Terrific reference for the inside industry scoop. A class organization, their annual Selling To Hollywood summertime conference and screenplay contest are not to be missed.

Lew Hunter - That's right - it's UCLA's own Screenwriting 434 guy. He still gets out for local appearances once in a while and definitely worth listening to. A real class act.

Syd Field - If I have to explain who he is, then you haven't been writing screenplays that long.

Robert McKee's Story Structure - Whether you're a screenwriter, playwright or novelist, McKee is the definitive authority on story structure. If you're a screenwriter, you must buy his book and attend his three day seminar. That's an order.

Sundance Film Festival - Films, schedules, Robert Redford, information.

Screenwriters Utopia - At 100,000 hits per month, it's a rich source for screenwriter links and screenplays, but the pop-up ads are definitely a distraction.

Internet Movie Database - Want to know who wrote a particular film? Who directed it? What awards did it receive? Would like to know who starred, gripped, gaffed, storyboarded, or composed the musical score? You've found the right place.

WritersBloc - Screenwriters and celebrities talk on the subject of film and script writing in a regular lecture series at the Writer's Guild theater.

Drew's Script-O-Rama - Free downloadable scripts.

Screenplay 451 - Yes, even more free scripts.

Leslie Kallen / Richard Walter Seminars - The UCLA Prof and partner are perennial favorites on the seminar circuit.

Writers Script Network - In theory, it's one way to plug your script, but I'm honestly not sure how well it works.

Screenwriters Network - The opposite of the above. Actually, this is a valuable resource for all things Hollywood.

Writers Guild of America - No introduction required.

Screenwriting UCI - Looking for a certificate to tack onto your resume?

Nicholl Fellowships - Annual screenwriting competition sponsored by the people who brought us the Oscar™.

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Writer's Resources

The Library of Congress - The main page for the Library of Congress.

The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress - A central source of information for anyone wanting to know about copyright registration. You may use this page as a starting point for registering your work with the Library of Congress.

Just for Publishers - Library of Congress -The service pages especially designed to serve publishers. The site includes information on ISSN, and a link to the ISBN organization.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN), U.S. website - The Bowker website with information about acquiring your ISBN.

Shawguides Writers Conference and Workshop Bulletin - A one stop site to stay abreast of all the upcoming writers conferences.

Writers.com - An excellent resource for writers serious about the craft. Great free monthly e-newsletter, and online classes available.

Barnes and Noble - Our own insider's info on B and N's detailed acceptance policy for books.

Literary Agents - Agents with good reps looking for fresh manuscripts in a variety of genres.

Writer Beware - Brought to you by the Sci Fi and Fantasy writers org.

Mystery Writers of America, Southern California Chapter - The title says it all, doesn't it?

Wise Words on Writing - Donna-Lane Nelson's writer tips.

Sweet Fancy Moses - Brian Alan Lane's Los Angeles-based literary magazine. To find out more about the publication and its submission guidelines, please go the website.

The Victory Page for Fiction Writers - A source of articles on the craft of writing, including "How to Critique Fiction."

Coffeehouse for Writers - Coffeehouse for Writers is an internet-based community of writers from all genres. There are more than ten thousand members all over the world including ships at sea! Through our workshops and e-mail groups you can connect to other writers who share your struggles, hopes and frustrations. Let group members lift your spirits when you're down and share in your celebrations when you succeed. Let seasoned writers provide you guidance and support in your quest.  

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Author Links

Allison Johnson - Author of The Way Home and co-author of Your Self-Confident Baby.

Kris Neri - Author of the Tracy Eaton Mystery Series.

Susan and Stephen Perry - Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhancing Creativity author Susan Perry and her talented husband's website is curiously named BunnyApe. The site contains an extensive Expert Q and A for writers as well as works from Stephen Perry, whose poems have been published in The New Yorker. Why BunnyApe? Beats me.

Judith Searle - Understanding the Enneagram Judith analyzes character development using the "enneagram" - a system of understanding behavior through the use of an ancient polygram.

Joyce Spizer - Author of the Harbor Pointe Mystery Series and a member of the NWA/SCC.

Marilyn R. Moody - A cancer survivor writes on survival.

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Bestselling Southern California Authors

Jan Burke - An Edgar-winning writer of novels and short stories, her latest in the Irene Kelly series is "Flight".

Barbara Seranella - The word "entertaining" captures the allure of both her personality and her Miranda "Munch" Mancini mystery series.

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