Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness Part I
Global Topics
by
Kirt Hickman
April 3 - April 24
Thursday evenings
6:30-8:30pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$65 members
$75 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness Part I: Global Topics
Class 1: World Building & Characterization
Class 2: Plot
Class 3: First Draft, Research, & Gross Manuscript Problems
Class 4: Chapter Breaks & Avoiding Information Dumps
Kirt Hickman was a technical writer for fourteen years before
branching into fiction. He's made a living out of taking complex sets
of requirements, or in this case advice, and boiling them down into
simple, effective procedures. His methodical approach to self-editing
can help you convert your first draft from mess to masterpiece. Kirt
has completed five novels and is currently working on a book titled
Revising Fiction--Making Sense of the Madness. He's
been an SWW mentor since the inception of the mentoring program and
has participated in discussion or critique panels for multiple SWW
conferences.
Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness Part II
Nuts and Bolts
by
Kirt Hickman
May 1 - May 22
Thursday Evenings
6:30-8:30pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$65 members
$75 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Revising Fiction: Making Sense of the Madness Part II: Nuts and
Bolts
Class 1: Scenes
Class 2: Polishing Prose
Class 3: Dialog
Class 4: Finishing Touches & Critiques
Kirt Hickman was a technical writer for fourteen years before
branching into fiction. He's made a living out of taking complex sets
of requirements, or in this case advice, and boiling them down into
simple, effective procedures. His methodical approach to self-editing
can help you convert your first draft from mess to masterpiece. Kirt
has completed five novels and is currently working on a book titled
Revising Fiction--Making Sense of the Madness. He's
been an SWW mentor since the inception of the mentoring program and
has participated in discussion or critique panels for multiple SWW
conferences.
Write a Great Screenplay: Beginning Screenwriting Class
by
Rick Reichman
April 6 –June 8
10 Sunday Evenings
6:30-8:30pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$175/SWW members, $10 materials fee
$225/Non-members, $10 materials fee
(discounted $50 SWW membership available with $225 fee includes online
SW SAGE newsletter)
For more information, call Rick at (505) 984-2927
8 student minimum
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
20 Things You Must Know to Write A Great Screenplay, and you can know them and so much more in Rick Reichman’s Beginning Screenwriting class. In ten weeks you will learn correct formatting, the seven elements of every scene, the three-act-structure and its eight major turning points, how to create terrific film speak, how to write compelling openings, and the best way to market your script.
Rick’s students have sold to Fox, Warner Brothers, HBO, Showtime,
all the major networks, and to such recent shows as Crossing Jordan
and New Amsterdam, to name a few. His students have also
sold novels, short stories, plays, and nonfiction by using the techniques
they learned in his screenwriting classes.
HOW TO GET YOUR NONFICTION BOOK PUBLISHED
by
Rob Spiegel and Melody Groves
April 7 - May 5
Monday Evenings
6:30-8:30pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$69 members
$79 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
How to Get Your Nonfiction Book Published begins Monday, April 7, 2008, and runs consecutively through May 4. Cost is $69/$79.
Ready to get your nonfiction book published? Rob Spiegel and Melody Groves' classes will propel you on your way to fame and fortune.
The nonfiction class will cover finding markets, writing queries (these will be critiqued by Rob and Melody), writing proposals (also critiqued and shared with the group), attending conferences (why that’s crucial), and finding an agent. Cost is $69/members and $79 non-members.
Rob is the author of six published nonfiction books. Melody is the
author of one published nonfiction book and three fiction books.
Traveling the Poetry Road
by
Jeanne Shannon
April 9, 16 & 23
Three Wednesday afternoons
1:30pm - 3:30pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$45 members
$55 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Address the elements that make your poems stronger - including vivid images, concrete details, and words that engage the senses. Discover common pitfalls and learn to avoid them. Examine and discuss poems by a few well-known 20th-century poets. Experiment with writing poems in traditional and non-traditional forms. Find out how to submit poetry for publication and self-publishing.
Jeanne has three full-length poetry collections, the latest - Angelus,
published in 2006. Her work also appears in numerous small-press and
university publications including the UNM Press anthology In Company:
New Mexico Poets After 1960. She holds a master's degree in English/Creative
Writing from the University of New Mexico.
Working Fiction: Challenges and Peer Critique
by
Betsy James
June 4 – July 30, 2008
Wednesday evenings
6:30 - 9:00pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$150/member, $180/non-member
price includes 6 month SWW membership
with online SW SAGE
extended to 1 year for an additional $20)
Maximum 10 students, Minimum 6
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
One of the best stimuli of fresh work is the challenge of an outside idea, followed by respectful peer critique. In seven weekly assignments, we will write to various aspects of fiction—voice, description, dialogue, point-of-view, etc.—and then bring our work into the conversation of critique. The skills of peer critique will be taught and modeled. The instructor is best known for her Young Adult fiction, but assignments will be appropriate to any fiction form: novel/short story, realistic/fantastic, adult/juvenile. Come prepared to work hard.
Betsy James is the author of sixteen books for young adults
and children. Her most recent title, Listening at the Gate
(Atheneum 2006), is a James Tiptree Honor Book and a New York Public
Library Best Book for the Teen Age. Visit her on the web at www.betsyjames.com.
WRITING YOUR OWN BIOGRAPHY
by
Melody Groves
June 30 and July 7
Two Monday Evenings
6:30-8:30 pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$29 members
$39 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Why should you write your biography? Now? Because somebody is going to want it. And you need to be prepared. Maybe you’re already published or almost published. I guarantee that someone will want to know about you—right now. They won’t want to wait for you to “put it together.” Be ahead of the game.
In this two week class, we’ll write short, one sentence bios, then work our way up to 150-words. We’ll talk about what to include, what should be left out. What’s important, what isn’t. We’ll look at tailoring your bio to fit the publication. It’s harder than it looks, but looking professional is the name of the game.
Melody Groves writes about the West--magazines, novels, non-fiction, and screenplays. She is publicity chair for Western Writers of America and public relations chair for SouthWest Writers. As a performer with the New Mexico Gunfighters, she "shoots" outlaws every Sunday in Old Town.
HOW TO BE INTERVIEWED
by
Melody Groves
July 14-28
Three Monday evenings
6:30-8:30 pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$45 members
$55 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Interviews with celebrities look easy. They always have the “right” answer and deliver it with such aplomb that you shake your head knowing you could never be like that. Right? Wrong. Knowing what questions will be asked (there are standard ones), and how to give an “off the cuff”, “unrehearsed” answer, is part of this class.
We will spend time going over typical interview questions, then how to respond appropriately when being interviewed on (1) radio; (2) newspaper; and (3) television. Also during this class, we will interview each other, just to see what it feels like on “both sides of the camera.” We’ll talk about clothing choice (not so important for radio interviews), hair styles, make up and voice exercises.
You never know when you’ll be interviewed. Be prepared. Have the answers. Look suave and sophisticated. Being “on” is part of the publishing fun. You’ll like it.
Melody Groves writes about the West--magazines, novels, non-fiction, and screenplays. She is publicity chair for Western Writers of America and public relations chair for SouthWest Writers. As a performer with the New Mexico Gunfighters, she "shoots" outlaws every Sunday in Old Town.
Fever Pitch
Promote Your Book or Screenplay to Publishers, Producers and Passer-bys
by
Jonathan Miller
July 10 and 24-31
Three Thursday evenings
6:30-8:30 pm
SouthWest Writers Conference Room
3721 Morris NE, Ste A
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(northwest corner of Comanche and Morris).
Register: SWW (505) 265-9485
$45 members
$55 non-members
Class Limited to 14 Students
Don't miss this one! Sign up now online!
Whether in an elevator or behind a podium – authors need to pitch their stories in ways that catch and hold the attention of their intended audience. Present yourself professionally and effectively, and your work will get the exposure and attention it deserves. Let this master guide you through the process with feedback from fellow authors and his written critique. Some attendees might get to post their pitches online.
Lawyer, screenwriter and author, Jonathan Miller wrote his first novel, Rattlesnake Lawyer, based on his experiences as a public defender in Roswell. His novel, Crater County and non-fiction book, Amarillo in August both made the Tucson Public Library’s master list of Southwest Books of the Year. Legal Lapdances won SWW 2006 Best Non-fiction and was optioned as a TV series. Volcano Verdict was a finalist for New Mexico mystery of the year. His new novel, La Bajada Lawyer should be out....soon!