|
home
about
WLT
calendar
classes,
workshops & retreats
Star
Instructors
membership
contests,
awards, & grants
on
the air
Wota Wins award
footnotes
contact us
writers' resources
FAQs
site map
|
| Previous
Workshops & Classes
|
| RETREAT with Novelist Greg
Garrett in Kerrville, Texas, November 14-16, 2003 |
| Story is the building block of great novels,
screenplays, and nonfiction. Whether you’re following
the adventures of Bridget Jones, Cool Hand Luke, or Seabiscuit,
it’s a strong story with compelling characters that
keeps us going. Join novelist Greg Garrett (Free
Bird,
Cycling) for a Writers’ League of Texas Retreat
on narrative: what it is, how it works, how to make it good.
Whether you’re writing fiction, nonfiction, or drama,
this workshop will lead you to strengthen the vital elements
of a story in progress, and give you insight on how to employ
scenes, structure, and conflict to make all your writing stronger.
Greg Garrett is an award-winning professor of creative writing
at Baylor University, and his first novel, Free
Bird, was picked by Publishers Weekly and the Denver
Rocky Mountain News as one of the top fiction debuts of 2002.
Participants should come prepared to deliver a short (five
minutes or less) synopsis of a story in progress, do writing
exercises, and participate in discussion. |
| MAKE YOUR BOOK A BESTSELLER
with George Arnold, November 21, 2003 |
| Learn how to dramatically increase book sales
with author George Arnold. Arnold won the Silver Spur Award
for marketing excellence, the IPPY Award as the funniest book
of 2003,and the 2003 Violet Crown Award for Non-Fiction. Recommended
reading: Bestseller by George Arnold (available at
bookstores or at the workshop; if you buy at the workshop,
George will generously donate a portion to the League). |
| COOKBOOKS:
THE BASIC INGREDIENTS with Deborah Douglas, MD, November 22,
2003 |
| In this half-day session, San Antonio author
Deborah Douglas, MD, explores the history and evolution of
cookbooks, probes the current trends in the industry and outlines
the strategy for a fruitful foray into Fannie Farmer’s
field. Participants will learn the key ingredients in the
book proposal for a cookbook and hear success stories of some
Texas cookbook authors. Students are asked to bring along
their favorite cookbook and a good mood.
Dr. Douglas is the author of Gone for the Day: Family
Fun in Central Texas and Stirring the Prose: Cooking
with Texas Authors. Her sense of humor makes her a popular
public speaker. |
| BUILDING
YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL: HALF-DAY WORKSHOP with PRIVATE AFTERNOON
CONSULT with Robert Dunlap, December 13, 2003 |
| Do you have a professional book proposal
ready and waiting to deliver at an agent or publisher’s
request. Does your proposal prove your book’s marketability,
examine the competition, posses your plan to sell! sell! sell!?
Reserve your spot today to learn what publishers and agents
expect, and come ready with questions for your 30-minute one-on-one
afternoon consult. Get ready to plan and polish toward perfection!
Robert Dunlap is a second-year MBA student at the University
of Texas McCombs School of Business. He works as a business
consultant on creative projects for writers, actors, musicians
and professional businesses. His work has appeared in magazines
including Hydrocarbon Processing, Control Engineering, Chemical
Engineering, and Plant Services. He is presently working on
an article in conjunction with MBAJungle magazine. |
| RETREAT
with award-author Jan Seale in Weslaco, Texas January 31 –
February 1, 2004 |
| "Shaping Life Experiences
into Poems & Stories" Participants with a desire
to record their personal history can learn how to craft insightful,
creative poems and stories using life’s experiences.
In addition to being a multi-published author, Seale has received
a National Endowment for the Arts Writing Fellowship and won
seven PEN/Syndicated awards. |
| TEAM
UP WITH YOUR INNER EDITOR with Linda Davis Kyle January 24 |
| Polish your writing to make it
sparkle for publication. Participate in a vigorous session
of writing and editing exercises that can enlighten you about
your own writing habits. Kyle is an internationally published
general interest and health and fitness writer with publications
in a dozen countries. She is also the small press review columnist
for Pathways Magazine. |
| TRAVEL
WRITING: BEEN THERE, COMPED THAT! with Carmel Mooney January
25, 2004 |
| Learn how to travel for free
(comping) by securing writing assignments before you even
pack your suitcase! Learn how to break into the travel writing
business with no previous experience, and how to sell and
re-sell your travel adventures. Explore and experience exciting
travel for fun and profit.
Carmel Mooney is a travel columnist and former radio travel
talk show host, and the author of the book, Been There—Comped
That! … Free Travel, Dining, and Entertainment, All
for the Cost of Some Ink. |
| RETREAT
with author Robert Flynn in Fredericksburg, Texas February 20
- 22, 2004 |
| “Fiction Writing”
Flynn will use lectures and writing exercises to answer writing
questions: Where to begin? Whose story is it? Who tells the
story? What is the problem/conflict? How is the story resolved?
What is the voice, style, language of the story? As a bonus,
Flynn will hold a Friday evening workshop on writing humor.
Flynn is professor emeritus at Trinity University, member
of The Texas Institute of Letters, and an award-winning author
of twelve books. |
| RETREAT
with author Kathi Appelt in Jefferson, Texas, March 6 -7, 2004 |
Capturing Childhood: Writing for
Children and Young Adults
We’ll participate in a series of writing exercises
and invitations designed to lead participants more deeply
into their current writing projects, as well as to consider
new ideas for future projects. Activities will be based upon
current children’s books and centered around writing
for children and teenagers. This is a time to sit back and
consider childhood as a "literary domain." The workshop
is open to anyone with an interest in literature for children,
from beginners to professionals.
Kathi Appelt is the multiple award winning author of over
20 books for children and teenagers. "I used to think
that a real writer had to have lots of exciting, maybe even
dangerous, adventures in order to have something meaningful
to write about. Now I know that the best writing is about
the people, places, pets, and objects that surround us and
that we meet every day."
|
| RETREAT
with literary agent Mickey Freiberg in San Antonio, Texas, March
5 -7, 2004 |
| Showtime: Are You Ready? Mickey Freiberg
has been a literary agent in Los Angeles for over thirty years.
His nickname is "The Cowboy" and he writes a column
for ScreenTalk magazine. Mickey has sold hundreds of scripts
and novels. One of his most recent sales was "Flags
of Our Fathers." Come learn what agents look for when
they read a novel or a script. Students will submit scripts
after registration for retreat. |
|
Writers' League of Texas classes and workshops are open to the public.
If you have a disability that requires access accommodations and you
wish to attend one of our workshops or classes, please contact the WLT
office at least 48 hours prior to the program date.
Writers' League of Texas workshops and classes are partially funded by the City of Austin, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
|
