41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016
Epworth by the Sea
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
WIN SOME CASH! FINAL DAYS!
The Countdown Is On!
The deadline for submitting to SWA's 9 Workshop Contests is May 15 (@11:59pm)!
The 2016 Contests
- The Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel
- The G.T. Youngblood Award for Short Fiction
- The Vega Award for Speculative Short Fiction
- The Julie L. Cannon Award
- The Bill Westhead Memorial Award
- The Angel Award for Holiday Seasonal Writing
- The Thomas Max "You Are Published" Contest
- The Award for Excellence in Inspirational Writing
- The Humor Award
★ NO Entry Fees* ★ Cash Prizes ★
See the complete guidelines here. Look at some of our happy 2015 winners! That could be you!
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016
Epworth by the Sea
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Meet Our Scholarship Winners!
Congratulations to Charles Harned and Teresa Durham!
We look forward to seeing you in June!
Many thanks to all our fine applicants!
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016
Epworth by the Sea
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
WIN SOME CASH!!!
Join us for the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop, June 17-21, and you can submit any or all of our contests ~ for FREE!
Register for one day or all four ~ there's no minimum requirement! And there a so many contests to choose from! Do you have a novel, a short story? Maybe humor, inspirational or personal narratives? No matter! There's a contest for you! And best of all...
Every contests awards CASH PRIZES!!
2016 CONTESTS:
- The Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel
- The G.T. Youngblood Award for Short Fiction
- The Vega Award for Speculative Short Fiction
- The Julie L. Cannon Award
- The Bill Westhead Memorial Award
- The Angel Award for Holiday Seasonal Writing
- The Thomas Max "You Are Published" Contest
- The Award for Excellence in Inspirational Writing
- The Humor Award
The submission DEADLINE IS May 15, 2016.
Read the full guidelines on our website.
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016
Epworth by the Sea
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Get Up To 3 FREE!
What would you give to have an award-winning author give you pointers on your manuscript?
Join us for the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop, June 17-21, and you can submit up to 3 manuscripts for evaluation by our faculty ~ for FREE!*
For 2016, we have 4 categories for MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES:
- Novel (Evaluator: David Fulmer)
- The first chapter and a five-page synopsis
- Nonfiction (Evaluator: Jedwin Smith)
- The first chapter and a five-page synopsis –OR– Complete manuscript not over 1500 words
- YA Fiction (Evaluator: Michele Roper)
- The first chapter and a five-page synopsis
- Screenplay (Evaluator: Michael Lucker)
- The first 10 pages and a 3-page synopsis
The submission DEADLINE IS May 28, 2016.
* 2-day minimum registration required.
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016
Epworth by the Sea
St. Simons Island, Georgia
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Make the Most of Pivot Points
from "I Need Coffee" on the Huffington Post
Attorney Katie Rose Guest Pryal writes the blog I Need Coffee, a blog covering all things writing with the aim toward how to make a living writing. Katie is also the author of Entanglement: A Novel and Love and Entropy: A Novella and a contributor to the Chronicle of Higher Education, The Toast, Dame Magazine, and other national venues. She recently discussed ways climb out of your "rut," banish your "funk" and knock through your "block." Below is a excerpt:
"...So I decided I needed a different metaphor for thinking about this kind of writing space, a metaphor that’s less negative than, say, “rut.” I settled on the phrase “pivot point.”
"A pivot point, at its most basic, is the center of any rotational system.
"In basketball, you plant your pivot foot so you can move while not getting called for a traveling violation. That’s a good thing.
"When you are drawing with an old-fashioned compass, you firmly plant the sharp tip as your pivot point, and then you rotate the clamped pencil around it to create a perfect circle. That’s a good thing, too, so long as you didn’t accidentally stab yourself with the compass point.
"A train engine on a turntable rotates on a central pivot point, allowing something immensely heavy to change direction and head off another way. That’s kind of amazing, actually.
"Examples of pivot points abound. The examples are important because I really want to stop thinking about funks, ruts, and plateaus. I want to embrace these moments as moments of possibility rather than impossibility. (I sound very new-agey and unlike my ordinary practical self, but what I’m suggesting is very practical. Please bear with me.)
"At a pivot point, you do, indeed, stop moving forward. But you also have a multitude of possibilities around you. You pause in your forward progress, and you look around, taking in the different paths, and then pick a new one..."
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Would you like to attend the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop TUITION FREE?
You could be here!
Win one of two scholarships to the SWA Writers Workshop!
Here’s how to enter:
- Student Writer: ages 15-25 and enrolled in high school or college. If the student writer is under 18, a parent or guardian must accompany him/her.
- Adult Writer: age 18 or older
- Submit a 500-word essay describing your journey as a writer and how attending the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop will change your writing life. Include why you are the most deserving of the scholarship. Student Writers must include the name of their school or college.
- The entry deadline is midnight on April 18th. Please email your entry to purple@southeasternwriters.org with a subject line of SWA Student Scholarship or SWA Adult Scholarship.
- The scholarship pays for tuition only.
- Winners will be announced May 1st
Why you should attend the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop:
- Full access to Jeanie Loiacono, CEO and President of the Loiacono Literary Agency, and Bob Babcock, Founder and CEO of Deeds Publishing
- Specialty classes: Screenwriting, Young Adult, Marketing and more
- 3 free manuscript critiques by our faculty of award-winning writers
- Contests with cash prizes
- Sell your books in the Workshop Bookstore
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Join Us For Four Of The Best Days Of Your Writing Life!
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop ~ June 17-21
Epworth-by-Sea ~ St. Simons Island, GA
REGISTER TODAY!
Our Faculty includes:
Agent-in-Residence: Jeanie Loiacono, CEO and President of the Loiacono Literary Agency
Publisher: Bob Babcock, Founder and CEO of Deeds Publishing
Keynote Speaker: Janet Sheppard Kelleher, author of the best-selling Big C, little ta-ta
Novel Writing with Shamus Award Winner David Fulmer
Nonfiction Writing with Jedwin Smith, a 2-time Pulitzer nominee
Plus…
• Young Adult Fiction: Michele Roper (a.k.a Gillian Summers)
• Screenwriting: Michael Lucker
• Commercial Writing: Peter Bowerman (a.k.a. The Well-Fed Writer)
• Marketing: My Write Platform
Other Features:
FREE Manuscript Critiques!
Contests with CASH prizes!
Scholarships Available! ~ purple@southeasternwriters.org for details
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop: Contests with Cash Prizes!!!
All attendees of the 41st Southeastern Writers Workshop are eligible to enter our many contests. And you can write just about anything you want: novels, short fiction, essays, funny stories, true stories, stories with a Southern flair, stories set in other worlds! And best of all....
There is MONEY to be WON !!!
Contests include:
- The Hal Bernard Memorial Award for Novel
- The GT Youngblood Short Fiction Award
- The Vega Award for Speculative Short Fiction
- The Julie L. Cannon Award
- The Bill Westhead Memorial Award
- The Angel Award for Holiday Seasonal Writing
- The ThomasMax “You are Published” Contest
- The Award for Excellence in Inspirational Writing
- The Humor Award
Click here for complete descriptions and guidelines. Deadline is May 15.
Contests are open to attendees ONLY. Click here to learn more and to register.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop: Meet Our Faculty!
41st Southeastern Writers Workshop
June 17-21, 2016 ~ Epworth by the Sea, St. Simons Island, GA
Meet Our Faculty!
(click images to enlarge)
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
To Share with Your Readers: Tips for Writing Amazon Reviews
Penny C. Sansevieri, is the CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc. and internationally recognized as a book social media marketing and book marketing, and a media relations expert. She frequently offers tips and advice on marketing books on Amazon.
As an author I always, always try to encourage my friends to post amazon reviews for books they’ve read. I remind them that reviews matter to authors. Most, however, aren’t familiar with writing amazon reviews or have never written one.
Another issue, I’ve heard from numerous authors who have friends who post amazon reviews, for which they are grateful, but wished they were more detailed. Many times the reviews consisted of not much more than “Loved this book!” And while it’s great to have fans, amazon reviews like that do little to help a book along. Also, shorter reviews are often frowned upon by Amazon and could get pulled if the review seems disingenuous. Read more about why Amazon reviews get pulled.
When a book has lots of great, detailed reviews, we tend to scan them for highlights on the things that matter to us. That’s how we often buy books. Both good and bad reviews can help us decide, and, frankly, I’ve often bought a book after I read a bad review because what the reviewer didn’t like was exactly what I was looking for. That’s why detailed reviews are not only helpful, they’re a must for your Amazon page.
It’s tempting to ask friends and family to write reviews. They often want to help but aren’t sure what to say. And you may have readers who love your work but aren’t savvy on posting reviews.
Monday, January 18, 2016
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
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Is Your Book Lost at Sea?
(from The Book Designer)
Dr. Judith Briles is a writing coach, book coach, and publishing expert who recently offered detailed advice on evaluating a floundering book and tips on how to avoid getting lost in a literary sea.
Amazon changed the publishing field—a great thing for so many newbie authors who didn’t think New York or an agent would ever give them a moment’s notice … and it’s also a not so good thing. The level of book pollution has gone beyond the stratosphere.
Anyone and almost everyone can vomit out words and dump them into Amazon’s CreateSpace or get in bed with the growing number of vanity-type presses and in days, literally days, have a book in hand. Is it a quality book or a great looking book? Most likely, not. Too many launch with little to no editing. Ditto with interior and cover design.
Which means that finding buyers—the potential Super Fans—has become fierce. And for authors—all authors—getting found has become the eighth wonder of the world.
Has your book become a sardine in the sea of books available?
Is it lost? Can it be found? Can it become a whale so your buying public can’t miss it?
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