Conferences and Workshops

Maybe I'm addicted to conferences, symposiums and workshops. It's hard not to be.

Although, at this point, after so many, it's hard to not be slightly jaded. Of course, this means that I am always looking for something new, more advanced, of deeper meaning and of more value - -

One workshop on the horizon that I am MOST excited about is this one:

Thursday, February 9, 2012

9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.   Cracking the Story Code: How to Know if Your Story Has Appeal Pre-Conference Intensive Workshop* Featuring Katherine Farmer Pre-Conference Workshop will be hosted by the Orem Public Library at 58 N. State Street Orem, Ut. - Tickets/$50 (Separate ticket required. Includes lunch.) Attention writers, tellers, creators of story: This workshop is for you. Over the last thirty years Katherine Farmer has investigated stories that target audiences of different age and interest levels. She has tapped into the expertise of many different disciplines and perspectives in order to isolate key elements and dynamics in story that are linked to our perceptions of a work’s quality and appeal. Farmer has also developed structural models and analytical tools to help those who write, select, or enact stories understand these findings and apply them. You will come away from this workshop empowered to make your story appealing and relevant to your intended audience, having cracked the story code! *Registration for this pre-conference workshop is NOT included with regular conference tickets. To register for this special event, please click here.

When I took this workshop several years ago, it was a life changing event. My analytical skills have forever changed. Now, whenever I watch movie, see a show, read a book, or even look at what's been happening in my life, I can see the story behind it. I instinctively find myself mapping out the story cone. It's done wonders for my abilities to give kids the books that will work for them. It's heavily influenced the way I write. I cannot stress enough how important this kind of analysis is to the world of not only writing and producing but also agenting and editing.

If you had a key to knowing if the manuscript you hold in your hands had the potential to be not only a profitable piece of work, but one with bestselling potential... what would you do? Would you not move heaven and earth to incorporate this knowledge into the very fibers of your being? I would.

This workshop is only the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more than what can be covered in a few hours of workshop. When the text book comes out on this research, it will be nothing less than transformative. Be one who is 'in on it' before it's even available to the general public. Get that head start, one that is only available here in the Utah Valley, at the Orem Library, Thurs. Feb, 9.