The Lab is back!

October is the perfect month to give you all a good scare--

The Lab is coming back!

Yes, Cheri Pray Earl has accepted the call of the masses and will be presenting the Lab Workshop at the 2014 WIFYR Conference.

To any and all who dare enter their manuscripts into the grinding mill that is Cheri in the capacity of Lab-meister, they will soon discover that there is no hiding, no shirking, no flinching, as she tears apart your manuscript in order to help you get it in shape and submission worthy.

!!WARNING!! 

The Lab is not your everyday workshop

It is a full week of intense MFA level work. In that regard, it is much like the rest of the morning workshops available at the WIFYR Conference. But wait--not so fast there--in The Lab, you will not be priming your pumps by working on the first chapters of your manuscript, no. In The Lab, victims (excuse me--I mean attendees) will be honing their manuscript middles.  

Yes, that murky, muddlesome, maddening middle where many a writer has been lost--it has been said for years, even decades--before they either stumbled out, only to find themselves back at the beginning, or alas, have emerged with nothing but wisps of age old writerly dreams long given up.

Prevent this from happening to you! Watch for WIFYR sign-ups to begin soon, select The Lab, and get to work on that novel--may I suggest the NaNoWriMo to get you started, so you have a middle to work on--and get ready for one of the hardest, most satisfying, stressful, and rewarding weeks or your authorial life.

I here-to-fore swear that the contents of this blog post are a true representation. If you doubt me, do ask The Lab Rats of 2013 to tell their tales of pre-conference work overload, the over-abundance of reading resources, and--horror of horrors--HOMEWORK that was required of them.

***

Yours Truly,
The Assistant from (ahem) Hades,
Amy

Alane Ferguson

I want this -- bad!


Anyone who's familiar with Edgar award winning author Alane Ferguson (she apparently also been nominated scads of times) knows she's spot on with her critiques.

So I wanted to let everyone know that she's going to do a one-page critique as a prize for the WIFYR Spread the Word contest. The chance to get a one-page critique with her is worth entering the contest. It's free, and you don't have to attend WIFYR to enter. Go to www.wifyr.com/blog for details.

Let me add, that if you have not had the chance to see Alane at work in the critique department, you are seriously missing out! Her afternoon critique lectures/workshops are always overflowing and hard to get into. She is very good at what she does.

...disclaimer, I must add that Alane did a critique on my picture book, Decoration Day, I am not playing favorites here, but I have to say that it was an unforgettable experience.

I'm so EXCITED!!!

The

PERFECT

conference workshop is now available

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for 

Serious Writers

by Cheri Pray Earl

The Lab: A Novel Workshop for Serious Writers

From Scraps to (manu)Scripts: Conquering the Murky Middles: Rescue those stalled-out novel manuscripts from your computer boneyard and bring them to this new, innovative, paddling-through-the-murky-middles workshop. This is a workshop for our faithful writers who have polished two or three beginning chapters in a WIFYR workshop in the past, but who need help getting the rest of their novel on paper and submission-worthy.

Workshop Goal:  “Finish, Polish, and Submit” is the mantra of this workshop. 

For five days, you will work harder than you have ever worked before (and so will Cheri), you will work smarter than you have ever worked before, and you will experience writing success like you have never experienced before.

Preparing for the Murky Middles Workshop: 

Prior to the conference, students will submit a murky-middles portion of their work (two to three of their murkiest chapters), a brief description of the problems of those two-to-three middle chapters, and a chapter-by-chapter synopsis (two sentences per chapter) of the entire novel, from the first chapter to the last. This is the material you will work with for the five days of WIFYR, so choose wisely.

Workshop Content: 

Each day, Cheri will share a different solution to novel-writing problems including Plot, Conflict, and Pacing; Character Development and Voice; Setting and Description; Scene, Summary, and Dialog; Developing Themes and Introducing Backstory.

Daily Assignments: 

Participants will write and workshop specific scenes that emphasize plot, pacing, character development, moral conflicts, and so forth, in addition to revising their middle chapters and, in some cases, writing new ones.

Final Project: 

Participants will present two to three completely revised and murk-free middle chapters on the last day of the workshop, a revised and annotated plot outline, a plan for finishing their novel, and . . . they will confess their love for writing, each other, and above all, their workshop teacher.

 

Click on the image to find out more . . .

 

Why attend a writing conference?

Check out this awesome article from Julie Olson of Jujubee Illustrations

Go to a conference on kids books? WHY?

 

 

Oh, and set your clock, watch Julie on Channel 2 tomorrow :)

 

Interview with Julie Olsen on Channel 2, Utah!
Julie Olsen's TV interview will air on Channel 2's Fresh Living Show at 1 p.m.  3/29/2013. 

Be sure to tune in!

 p.s. Julie's illustrations are a favorite of mine. She is one talented and hard working lady :)

OPPORTUNITY!

Hurry! Hurry!

Have you always wanted to go the the WIFYR Conference?
Money tight this year?
How bad do you want it?

Second Annual WIFYR Writing Contest

Entries due March 25, 2013

It's almost here . . .

REGISTRATION for the upcoming

One of my mostest favoritest authors is coming back, Martine Leavitt-- and openings are VERY limited--
But, I must say, that it really is unfair to say Martine is so great when honestly, I haven't had anything but excellent experiences with all my authors in the past. I mean you've got ALL these authors, agents and editors to learn from . . .

Cheri Pray Earl     *** DON'T MISS***	Introduction to Writing for Children Class
Sharlee Glenn	Picture Book Class
Steve Bjorkman	Illustration Class
J Scott Savage	Middle Grade Class
Kris Chandler	Novel Class
AE Cannon	Novel Class
Martine Leavitt	Specialty Novel Class (more info to come)
Matt Kirby	Advanced Class
Mette Ivie Harrison	Full Novel Class (Limited to 6 participants)
Carol Lynch Williams	Writer's Boot Camp
Utah State Poet Laureate Lance Larsen	Keynote Speaker
Alyson Heller	Editor for S&S
Ammi-Joan Paquette	Erin Murphy Literary Agent
Stephen Fraser	Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency

Seriously, you get a lot of bang for your buck going to this conference. I highly recommend it. Don't miss out.

Check it out HERE

Conferences, Workshops,
and Events in Central Utah 

The 2013 Roundup

(arranged by date)

Orem Writes / Events all month
Helping to put aspiring writers together with published writers. A time for novices to pick the brains of the experts.
                                                                                    January 2013  (free)
                                                                                    http://lib.orem.org/
                                                                                    http://oremwrites.wordpress.com 

iWriteNetwork 
Workshops and more
Social Network of writers. Message Boards, Chats, and BlogTalk Radio.
January 26, 2013 ($35)
http://iwritenetworkning.ning.com/ 
http://wewritenetwork.blogspot.com/

 

Timpanogos Storytelling Midwinter Event / Storyworks
Workshops for beginners, performers, educators, healers, business professionals, writers, parents and youth.
February 7-9, 2013 (pricing varies)
http://timpfest.org/



 

  Life the Universe and Everything (LTUE) 

A three day academic symposium on all aspects of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
February 14-16, 2013
                                                                                   ($30-$45 / free for students)

                                                                              http://ltue.net/

Writing for Charity
Live critiques from published authors and interactive workshops.

March 30, 2013 ($45)

http://writingforcharity.blogspot.com/

LDStorymakers

Classes and workshops with optional Boot Camp, Master Class, First ChapterContest and Pitch sessions.

May 10-11, 2013 (pricing varies)

http://ldstorymakers.com/

Conduit 23 

Utah's largest and longest-running general science fiction, fantasy, and horror convention

May 24-26, 2013

http://conduit-sf.com/

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (WIFYR)
Week long conference with morning class opportunities to work in small critique groups with published authors. Afternoon only options available.
June 17-21, 2013 (pricing varies)
http://www.wifyr.com/
http://www.wifyr.com/blog









 


BYU Books for Young Readers,
Symposium on Children's Literature
July 18-19, 2013

http://ce.byu.edu/cw/bfyr/






League of Utah Writers
Monthly meetings at Provo Library
http://www.uvwriters.com/  Utah Valley Chapter http://www.luwriters.org/





National Novel Writing Month      NaNoWriMo  
                                           Online community with local events
                                           November 1-30, 2013 (free)                                                                                          
                                           http://www.nanowrimo.org/






 

Timpanogos Storytelling Intensive Workshops
http://timpfest.org/
(watch for these week long retreats 1-3 times a year)