Have You Met the Faculty of the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop?

We have hired a diverse group of successful writers to teach our classes this year! In addition to their classes, faculty members will be available to meet one-on-one with our attendees and share mealtimes and social hours so students can really get to know them.  So let me introduce you...

Agent-in-Residence: Jeanie Loiacono, CEO and President of the Loiacono Literary Agency 

http://www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com

Jeanie is the agent for SWA Board of Directors members John House and Buzz Bernard. While Jeanie's favorites are mystery/thrillers, romance, historical, and southern fiction, she and her agents seek most fiction genres, plus memoirs, general nonfiction, YA and children's books. The agency’s motto is “Where ‘can’t’ is not in our vocabulary!”

Publisher: Bob Babcock, Founder and CEO of Deeds Publishing 

http://www.deedspublishing.com/ 

Based in Athens, Georgia, Deeds Publishing is a family-owned publishing company, offering both traditional and custom publishing as well as consulting, editing, ghost writing, layout, and design services. “We can help new authors navigate the intimidating path from manuscript to published book, and we can also help seasoned writers publish their next masterpiece.” Deeds has published 150 books – fiction and nonfiction – since opening in 2005.

Novel: David Fulmer 

http://www.davidfulmer.com

A former journalist, David is an award-winning author of mystery/thrillers, such as Chasing the Devil's Tale (a Shamus Award winner for Best First Novel), The Blue Door and Rampart Street. David was chosen as the Georgia Author of the Year for Fiction in 2006 for Jass, and on multiple “Best Book” lists since 2001, including in the Los Angeles Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BookList, Library Journal, among others. 

Nonfiction: Jedwin Smith

www.jedwinsmith.com/ 

A 2-time Pulitzer nominee, Jedwin was the recipient of 57 major writing awards during his 36 years as a print journalist, traveling wherever the story led: Lebanon, Ethiopia, to the ocean's depths and to the clouds in the sky when he co-piloted WWII fighter aircraft.  He has written three books, including Fatal Treasure about treasure hunter Mel Fisher and his search for the Atocha, the richest of all Spanish treasure galleons, and the memoir Our Brother's Keeper.

Young Adult Fiction: Michele Roper a.k.a Gillian Summers 

www.gilliansummers.com

Michele partners with Berta Platas (a former SWA instructor) to write fantasy novels as Gillian Summers, including The Scions of Shadow Trilogy series and Faire Folk Trilogy.  Under her name, Michele recently released the first title in a fantasy series on Kindle: Yuletide at the Country Dragon Veterinary Hospital: The Dragon Healer Chronicles.

Screenwriting: Michael Lucker 

http://www.luckydogfilmworks.com

Michael is a returning instructor for us from many years ago. As a screenwriter, he has created more then twenty feature screenplays for studios such as Paramount, Disney, DreamWorks, Fox and Universal, including "Vampire in Brooklyn," "Home On the Range" and "Spirit," a nominee for Academy Award in 2002. In television, Michael has worked with Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, History Channel, Travel Channel, Discovery, Weather Chanel, OWN, TLC, A&E, HGTV, DIY, MSNBC, NBC and TBS.  His company, Lucky Dog Filmworks, now serves as his home for writing, directing, producing and consulting. He lectures at Screenwriter School and Emory University. 

Commercial Writing: Peter Bowerman 

www.wellfedwriter.com/

Veteran commercial freelancer Peter Bowerman will lead attendees into the lucrative field of freelancing-writing for businesses. He will discuss the skills you need, why companies outsource, where the work is, how to get it, what to charge, networking strategies, and more.  Peter is the author of the award-winning The Well-Fed Writer, The Well-Fed Writer: Back for Seconds and The Well-Fed Self-Publisher, and his client list has included The Coca-Cola Company, BellSouth, IBM and many others. 

Marketing: My Write Platform 

http://mywriteplatform.com/about/ 

My Write Platform is the brainchild of mother-daughter team Debra and Meredith Brown. They taught marketing and social media for us a few years ago to great reviews so we are glad to have them back. Both are published and award-winning writers. Debra has vast experience marketing in the business world and Meredith has worked in the magazine industry and as a literary agent. Many SWA authors are included among My Write Platform’s clients.

Keynote Speaker: Janet Sheppard Kelleher

http://www.janetsheppardkelleher.com

Janet is an award-winning creative nonfiction writer, columnist, and speaker, living in South Carolina.  Her memoir Big C, little ta-ta, was the Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Nonfiction winner at the 2011 Southeastern Writers Workshop.  Published in October 2015, it is now an Amazon Best-Seller.  Her work has appeared in various editions of Not Your Mother’s Book, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Petigru Review and others.  In 2015, she became an internet sensation for her pink “Chemo-Hawk”, garnering national attention, like an interviewed by the “Today Show” and being chosen as the keynote speaker at the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Register today!

41st Southeastern Writers Workshop 

June 17-21, 2016 

Epworth by the Sea 

St. Simons Island, Georgia

Where will you to be in 6 months?

Why not here? 

41st Southeastern Writers Workshop! 

June 17-21 - St. Simons Island, GA

Registration opens 1/31

5 Points for Writing a Mystery Novel

I have written a manuscript for a mystery, a legal thriller of sorts, and am in the process of re-writing it. It is my first. During this process I have discovered several things about writing mysteries but even more about myself.

I am lucky to be in a writing group with two men who are excellent craftsmen of the same genre. We critique each other’s work, and have become intensely familiar with each other’s stories.  They have helped me tremendously. One is a retired attorney, like me, and the other is a reporter for CNN and former editor for the AJC. They can be merciless, but since I know they have made their criticisms thoughtfully, I regard their comments with respect and appreciation. They write differently than I do, however. Their books seem to jump miraculously from their brains to the page, chapter by chapter. I, on the other hand, am a plodder. I toiled through my first draft outlining several chapters at a time, concentrating on nothing but plot. I focused on the finer details of language and voice in the second edit. But this method seems to work for me.   

Point No. 1: Mysteries are all about plot. 

Hope Clark, a highly acclaimed mystery writer, critiqued the first twenty pages of my manuscript this summer during the Southeastern Writer’s Workshop. She kindly gave me a book edited by Sue Grafton entitled, Writing Mysteries, published in 1992 by Writer’s Digest Books. It is a compilation of several well-known mystery writers’ suggestions. First among the ten commandments of writing a good mystery is plot. Jermiah Healy, the writer of this particular section of the book, suggested that all other aspects of the mystery must adhere to the story line or plot, and that the “wrongdoer” must be punished in some way as well. It took me an embarrassingly long time to write my first draft, but I wanted to keep readers guessing about who was the actual murderer and also keep some sympathy for the accused. Primarily, I wanted to avoid the reader guessing who the actual murderer was until the very end to increase a sense of suspense. 

Point No. 2: Character(s) 

The development of characterization in a mystery is second only to plot. Most mysteries are written with an eye toward a series as well. It is difficult to write convincing characters who are capable of unlocking challenging legal or criminal puzzles time and time again. I have the beginnings of a second novel for one of the protagonists in my first book, and plans for a third. My main character is an attorney and although she is a civil litigator, she will find herself in situations where she will need to defend those accused of crimes. She is also a single mother of twin boys.

Rex Burns wrote the chapter on Chacterization in Writing Mysteries.  He suggests developing character around one intense personal trait, such as pride, or a leathery toughness, and using that trait to describe even the physical details of the character. He also suggests using props to make the character more interesting, such as an orchid growing detective or a police chief who is a gourmet chef. He notes that Ian Fleming eventually gave more interesting facets to the severely one dimensional James Bond. 

One problem we all face when writing a mystery novel is how to avoid the cliché in our characterizations. I found this to be a problem with some of my secondary characters in particular. This can be avoided by presenting fully developed characters, but there is not enough room in a book to fully develop all characters. Burns suggests using narrative voice and dialog to round out the character. In one scene of my book, a deputy sheriff was approaching the scene of a murder and is about to step into the house of a man whose daughter had just been shot. The reader knew nothing about the father at this point, but the deputy did, and let the reader in on what he knew. This helped to round out the father’s character.

Generally, character consistency is preferred throughout a novel. But a major character in my novel goes through a significant change toward the end of the book. This character also has a substantial communication problem. Showing character change is a challenge, but it was a natural process for this character and one that should demonstrate his humanity and strength. Such a change should move the book toward its logical and positive conclusion.   

  

Point No. 3: Know Your Setting 

I have always heard that one should “write what you know”. My story takes place in a southern college town in Georgia. It could be any one of several universities, and will seem familiar to those of us who have attended one of those institutions. The fact that I was familiar with the setting of the story gave me confidence as I was writing the plot. I knew the turns and twists of the road when the main character was kidnapped, and I knew what sort of issues would arise when she finally escaped. Setting sets the mood and tone for the story as well. It will give the story its ambiance and is essentially another character. Of course, if you don’t know your setting intimately, and are writing a story set in an exotic location for instance, the setting would be fun to explore or research in person and a good excuse to get away. 

Point No. 4: Theme

Mysteries should involve at least one death by criminal act. (See Writing Mysteries.) I did not outline my entire book before I started writing, but instead had a general theme. I knew there would be a murder, and why. Not all homicides are motivated by emotion, but there must be a motivation for a murder in a mystery novel, whether it is passion, revenge, money or all three. The theme must exist before you begin writing the outline or the any of the chapters. I kept the antagonist’s incentive for the crime dangling in front of me as I wrote, like a carrot. My constant inspiration for the plot was my antagonist’s greed and the motivation for her acts. It helped me contemplate how others would react to her as well.   

Point No. 5: Emotional Connections are Essential to a Mystery

Writing the twists and turns of the plot were so all-consuming for me during the preparation of my first draft, I didn’t make several emotional connections.  I knew these were necessary to the story since a death, particularly a murder, is a highly charged emotional event. I thought they could be easily inserted at a later date. What I didn’t count on was how difficult it would be for me to demonstrate certain feelings and circumstances. 

One of my characters is handicapped. I had a difficult time getting in his head and comprehending how difficult it was for him to communicate with others. I had an easier time understanding his emotive reactions than his communicative issues. I also discovered I was often stiff or non-emotive in situations which required a more tender approach. My legal background seemed to have desensitized certain responses. My manuscript seemed strangely flat where there should have been touching passages or excited exchanges. It was clear that I needed to get back in touch with the part of myself that existed before law school…before I took two thousand depositions and was exposed to too many harsh realities and tragedies. My sense of humanity wasn’t lost, but it needed cultivating. I needed to be reminded of the preciousness of life and that everyone was innocent once. What was it that made the antagonist become such a monster? What was the turning point in her life? 

There is good and bad in all people if the truth is exposed in its entirety. But mysteries do not seem to allow for that sort of story-telling. They are simpler in construct. In a classic mystery, the bad guy does the crime and must pay. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to understand the motivation behind the murder emotionally, and its ramifications. I am working on my best way of telling that.      

Winning the Georgia Bar Journal 19th Annual Fiction Writing Competition for the short story entitled OUT FROM SILENCE, Cynthia Tolbert began working on a novel based on those same characters the following year. Cynthia practiced law for 28 years and is a free-lance writer for legal publications. She writes legal thrillers set in the south.

Got it?

Is this what you seek? If so, SWA is offering tools on your path to publication. 

Southeastern Writers Workshop will be June 19-23, 2015 at Epworth by the Sea on scenic St. Simons Island, Georgia.

The weekend workshop (June 20-21) is dedicated to fiction writing. The weekday workshop (June 22-23) is focused on nonfiction writing. 

Got It? Registration completed? 

Register HERE

Got it? Manuscripts submitted for critique?

Find out how to receive FREE manuscript reviews HERE

Got it? Seen the schedule for the workshop?
Peruse it HERE

Got it? Contests Entered? 

More details HERE

The Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel
- The first 10 pages (double-spaced)
- 1-page synopsis
- 1-paragraph "elevator pitch."
- Any genre, literary or mainstream



The Past Presidents’ Romance Award
- The first chapter and a five-page synopsis
- Romance novels only

The GT Youngblood Short Fiction Award
- Complete manuscript not over 3000 words
- Any genre, literary or mainstream

The Microcosm Award
- Fiction of at least 100 and not more than 500 words
The Vega Award for Speculative Short Fiction NEW
- Complete manuscript not over 4000 words.
- Stand-alone novel chapters also accepted

Lines of Worth Award
(in honor of Dorothy Williamson Worth and all she did to encourage poets at SWA)
- Each entry should be a collection of three poems, each up to thirty lines, not
including the title.
- Awards will be made to collections.

The Harry Rubin Award for Limericks NEW
- Submit 3 Limericks in standard form

The Julie L. Cannon Award
- Writing which exemplifies the southern spirit preferably in a subtle, nuanced, and
non-stereotypical manner
- 1,000 words or less
- Fiction or nonfiction, NO poetry

The Bill Westhead Memorial Award
- Complete manuscript not over 3000 words
- For the best short story with a subject matter of an event occurring during the
writer's childhood that shaped his/her life.

The Angel Award for Holiday Seasonal Writing
- Short fiction, poetry or essays of 1200 words maximum about the holiday season.

The Thomas Max “You are Published” Contest
- Prize is publication and 25 copies of the book with no obligation to author.
- Manuscript may be submitted in full or only first three chapters.
- A complete synopsis (3 to 10 pages) should accompany all entries. Approximate
word count should be included with synopsis, preferably 40,00 to 90,000 words,
fiction, non-fiction, or a collection of short stories.
- Do not send work currently under consideration by the publisher.
- The standard contract, which will be modified slightly to show that no money is
due from the author, can be seen by clicking here:
http://www.thomasmax.com/images/authorcontract.pdf
- Other details are available at http://www.thomasmax.com/contest.htm or send
SASE to “You are Published,” P O Box 250054, Atlanta GA 30325

The Very Merrie Bosom Buddy Award
- Nonfiction up to 750 words about your best friend.
- This poignant true story must make the reader laugh and cry.

The Dr. George L. Sheppard Memorial Award 
- Nonfiction up to 750 words about a supportive sibling.
- This poignant true story must make the reader laugh and cry.

The Award for Excellence in Inspirational Writing
- The piece may be religious or secular.
- It should be wholesome and leave the reader with a “take away” message of
encouragement, hope, comfort, fresh motivation, or renewed spiritual strength.
- Complete manuscript not over 1500 words

The Cappy Award for Humor

- Complete manuscript not over 1000 HILARIOUS words

Got it? Wanting to network and make writing connections? 

Friday night through Monday night, beginning around 9 pm, SWA will host a “Step Away from the Page” Social. A time to relax and get to know your fellow writers and faculty. 
This is the "What happens at SWA, stays at SWA" part of the workshop. 

Tuesday night is Awards Night with an After Party to follow. 

SWA Members Shine!






Erika Hoffman’s story  "The Best I Could" will be featured in Sasee Magazine of Myrtle Beach in May.

Got it? 

What do you get with SWA?

What does your money buy you when you register for the Southeaster Writers Association 40th Anniversary Workshop? 

Check it out!

Scholarship

Win one of two scholarships to the SWA Writers Workshop!  SWA is offering two scholarships. One for the Fiction mini-workshop (June 20-21) and one for the Non-Fiction mini-workshop (June 22-23)

Just submit a 300-word essay on why you should be selected to attend the Fiction mini-workshop or the Nonfiction mini-workshop. You MUST state which miniworkshop you want to attend.

The entry deadline is midnight on April 15th. The scholarship pays for tuition only. Please email your entry to DebraAyersBrown@gmail.com with a subject line of SWA Fiction Scholarship or SWA Nonfiction Scholarship.

Manuscript Evaluations - (Authors must be registered for at least 2 days to submit manuscripts for evaluation.)

GENERAL

 There are 7 evaluation categories:

• Poetry (Evaluator: Chris Tusa)  - No more than 100 lines (one long poem or several short poems)

- Poetry can be single-spaced

• Novel (Evaluator: C. Hope Clark) - The first chapter and a five-page synopsis

• Flash Fiction (Evaluator: Chris Tusa) - Complete manuscript of at least 100 and not more than 500 words 

• Nonfiction (Evaluator: Donald S Vaughan) - The first chapter and a five-page synopsis –OR– Complete manuscript not over 1500 words

• Columns (Evaluator: Darrell Huckaby) - A 1-paragraph description of the column, including the intended media and the target audience, and a 750-word sample column manuscript.

• Memoir (Evaluator: Dana Wildsmith) - The first chapter and a three-page synopsis

• YA Fiction (Evaluator: SR Johannes) - The first chapter and a five-page synopsis 

 The submission DEADLINE IS May 15, 2015. NO extensions.

Find out ALL the details here: http://southeasternwriters.org/uploads/EvaluationsGuidelines2015.pdf

Contests

2015 SWA Workshop Contests & Guidelines

The Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel

- The first 10 pages (double-spaced)

- 1-page synopsis

- 1-paragraph "elevator pitch."

- Any genre, literary or mainstream

The Past Presidents’ Romance Award

- The first chapter and a five-page synopsis

- Romance novels only

The GT Youngblood Short Fiction Award

- Complete manuscript not over 3000 words

- Any genre, literary or mainstream

The Microcosm Award

- Fiction of at least 100 and not more than 500 words

The Vega Award for Speculative Short Fiction NEW

- Complete manuscript not over 4000 words.

- Stand-alone novel chapters also accepted

-

Lines of Worth Award

(in honor of Dorothy Williamson Worth and all she did to encourage poets at SWA)

- Each entry should be a collection of three poems, each up to thirty lines, not

including the title.

- Awards will be made to collections.

The Harry Rubin Award for Limericks NEW

- Submit 3 Limericks in standard form

The Julie L. Cannon Award

- Writing which exemplifies the southern spirit preferably in a subtle, nuanced, and

non-stereotypical manner

- 1,000 words or less

- Fiction or nonfiction, NO poetry

The Bill Westhead Memorial Award

- Complete manuscript not over 3000 words

- For the best short story with a subject matter of an event occurring during the

writer's childhood that shaped his/her life.

The Angel Award for Holiday Seasonal Writing

- Short fiction, poetry or essays of 1200 words maximum about the holiday season.

The ThomasMax “You are Published” Contest

- Prize is publication and 25 copies of the book with no obligation to author.

- Manuscript may be submitted in full or only first three chapters.

- A complete synopsis (3 to 10 pages) should accompany all entries. Approximate

word count should be included with synopsis, preferably 40,00 to 90,000 words,

fiction, non-fiction, or a collection of short stories.

- Do not send work currently under consideration by the publisher.

- The standard contract, which will be modified slightly to show that no money is due from the author, can be seen by  clicking here: http://www.thomasmax.com/images/authorcontract.pdf

- Other details are available at http://www.thomasmax.com/contest.htm or send

SASE to “You are Published,” P O Box 250054, Atlanta GA 30325

The Very Merrie Bosom Buddy Award

- Nonfiction up to 750 words about your best friend.

- This poignant true story must make the reader laugh and cry.

The Dr. George L. Sheppard Memorial Award –

- Nonfiction up to 750 words about a supportive sibling.

- This poignant true story must make the reader laugh and cry.

The Award for Excellence in Inspirational Writing

- The piece may be religious or secular.

- It should be wholesome and leave the reader with a “take away” message of

encouragement, hope, comfort, fresh motivation, or renewed spiritual strength.

- Complete manuscript not over 1500 words

The Cappy Award for Humor

- Complete manuscript not over 1000 HILARIOUS words

Manuscripts entered in these contests will not receive evaluations by faculty members. Contests are judged by the contest sponsors. If you want a faculty evaluation, please see Evaluation guidelines

http://southeasternwriters.org/uploads/2015ContestsJan.pdf

How do you get register? 

Click here