2014 WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Revise and Shine! Polish Your Novel with the Pros

WORKSHOP HOURS

THURS. Check-in starts 6:00 PM

FRI. Teens 10:00 to 11:55 AM

Everyone 1:15 to 6:15 PM,
Teen Panel, faculty talk, and s’mores until 10:00 PM

SAT. 8:30 AM to 6:15 PM
Dinner is “Writer’s Night Out” (on your own);
teen party night

SUN. 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM (includes lunch)

In the schedule below, “transit” means you may walk outdoors (one to three minutes) to another meeting room. Color-coding denotes different activities and tracks: focus sessions, masterclass critiques on partials, spot critiques on first pages, whole-novel consults, and teens' workshop. To see guidelines for critiques of whole novels (Group A) and partials (Group B), read our overview. For details about teens’ concurrent schedule, read the teens’ workshop pages.

THURSDAY
Faculty and most enrollees arrive by 8:00 PM. Optional, informal
get-together. Teens: Pizza and creative icebreakers.
FRIDAY
Free, pre-workshop Continental breakfast starts at 8 AM; available all morning. Morning Group B-Plus consults arranged privately. Lunch: build your own sandwich.
Teen 10:00 to 11:55  Teens’ Fiction Crafting Session  Break until 1:15; includes lunch. Teens attend all sessions shown below unless an alternate teen session is specified.
1:15 Welcome! All gather for faculty and peer intros.
1:40 Keynotes-Focus Session #1  Shape Your Novel for Publication (Editor, Agent): How do our pros work with their authors? Overview of common omissions writers make. What techniques and tools can you use to self-edit your novel? Each presenter: 25 minutes plus five minutes Q&A.
2:45 Focus Session #2  Secondary Characters: The Critical Support Cast in Whole Novel Revision (Editor)
3:30 Try It Yourself: Story exercise from Elaine Marie Alphin’s classic, Creating Characters Kids Will Love; i.e., a chapter on secondary characters, “The Rest of the Gang.” Preview this activity from our 2007 workshop’s reading assignment. Led by faculty author(s). Teens and adults will brainstorm together, applying the prompt to a pivotal Harry Potter scene—which we’ll discuss, then at 4:00 view on film.

A prolific and multi-award winning author, Elaine Marie Alphin was a beloved mentor, teacher, and presenter to adults and young people. To learn more, see Elaine’s general info or her blog. Thank you, Elaine, for this stimulating exercise... and much more.
4:00 Break, snack with film clip (observe scene structure,
secondary characters, how film shows)
4:20 Masterclass critiques #1, 2 (each 20 minutes)
5:00 Free time: Beach walk, write…
Teen 5:00 to 5:45  Teens’ beach sports: soccer, Frisbee,
and/or your choice
6:30 Dinner (Meals are mostly organic; vegetarian options.)
7:30 Teen-led Panel Teens field adults’ pre-selected questions, then critique one favorite manuscript by adult enrollees. Adults: See what your target-age readers really think!
8:00 Focus Session #3  Plot It! (Agent) “Think of your growth as a writer. Get set to push it into hyperdrive.” With these words, Scott Treimel invites you to explore tonight’s topics, which may include or combine the following: scene-building, pacing for dramatic effect, revealing interior logic, layering plot, brewing tension.
8:45 Socialize, or focus session Q&A if participants choose
Teen 8:45 Teens roast s’mores over a beach bonfire; bring instruments, play music.
Adults welcome!
10:00 Unwind. And to all, a good night!

SATURDAY
Continental breakfast starts at 8 AM; available all morning.
8:30 Breakfast Dialogues with editor and agent
8:45 Masterclass critiques #3, 4, 5
9:45 Break
9:50 Spot Critiques #1, 2 (Teens with editor, five minutes each.)
10:00 Transit
10:10 Whole Novel Initial Consults #1, 2  Each concurrent consult lasts 45 minutes. Concludes in discussion with peer observers/critiquers.
Teen 10:10 to 11:55  Teens’ One-on-One Critiques  Four teens with their instructor; 10 minutes each, peer group format. Other teens attend whole-novel consults. Then switch (those observing consults will do critiques, and vice versa). Limited adults may observe teens’ critiques.
10:55 Transit
11:10 Whole Novel Initial Consults #3, 4
11:55 Lunch
12:40 Free time to 3:40, except private consults and the following:
Teen 12:40 to 1:20 (Optional)  Teens’ Essay Session How to write a Personal Essay for magazines or college application. Brainstorm. Turn your challenges, triumphs, and discoveries into great reading!
3:40 Snack (veggies, fruit, chips, dips)
4:00 Whole Novel Initial Consults #5, 6
Teen 4:00  Teens’ Fiction Crafting Session  Put WOW in your writing—turn blah into bewitching, meh into marvelous! We’ll brainstorm ways to bring language to life. Don’t say “dessert” when you can write “peppermint-chocolate ice cream crunch.” Other tasty details in the teens’ schedule.
4:50 Transit
5:00 Spot Critiques #3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Teens with editor, five minutes each.)
5:25 Break
5:30 Focus Session #4  Line Editing: What and Why? (Editor, Agent)  Each faculty shares a few pages of our workshop manuscripts, revealing reasons for their line editing choices. Samples are sent to enrollees to edit in advance. Then we will compare and discuss.
6:15 Dinner on your own (See manual for restaurant guide.)
Teen 6:15  Teens’ pizza party & evening activities
Baking, music jam, movie, games, crafts… more s’mores?

SUNDAY
Continental breakfast starts at 8 AM; available all morning. Teens do not attend whole-novel consults today, but remain in teens’ focus sessions.
8:30 Breakfast Dialogues with editor and agent
8:50 Transit
9:00 Whole Novel Follow-up Consults #1, 2  Peer discussion integrated at author’s discretion; final 10 minutes private if author desires. Each concurrent consult: 30 minutes.
Teen 9:00 to 10:45 Teens’ “Revise and Shine” Session  From first draft to final draft, discover how to transform your messy manuscript into a polished, publishable piece. To revise means to re-visualize, focusing on what’s vital to move your story forward. So, that scene at the carnival where the hot hunk, Hank, is stuck on the Ferris wheel with Rachel? You love it, but it may have to go. Slash, burn. Cut, paste. Twist, tweak. Revision makes your novel the best it can be.
9:30 Transit
9:40 Whole Novel Follow-up Consults #3, 4
10:10 Transit
10:20 Whole Novel Follow-up Consults #5, 6
10:50 Transit
Teen 10:45 Teens’ Focus Session ends
Check out
11:00 Focus Session #5  Reviving Muddled Middles (Editor). Followed by How Readers Perceive Text (Agent):What to tell; what to omit. Includes sources such as pop songs, theater, movies, and adult fiction. Each faculty 30 minutes; then 30 minutes together, including closing.
12:30 Lunch (or lunch to-go)
1:30 END... or stay all afternoon at the beach!