Writing for Your Life Los Angeles 2019 – Breakout Seminar Descriptions

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Breakout Seminars A – 11:30 AM

  • Marilyn McEntyre
    • “Make a List: How a Simple Practice Opens Avenues of Reflection” This session—drawing on my 2018 book Make A List—will focus on how list making leads to other things—how lists open new possibilities, help clarify purposes, how lists grow up to be poems or tables of contents for books that want to be born. We’ll take time for brief directed exercises in letting lists grow and take you where they will.
  • Sharon Elliott
    • “Starting Strong and Maintaining Momentum, Part 1” Stop thinking of yourself as a writer. It’s time to reinvent who you are and start introducing yourself as a successful author. What does that really take? Attend this two-part class and get the lowdown. After part one of this seminar, you will have the tools you will need to begin your professional writing career. Learn about the supplies you’ll need, the paperwork that will make you look like a pro, record-keeping, and much, much more. The time you spend here will increase the time you’ll have to write.
  • Roger Freet – literary agent
    • “The Path to Getting Published: How and Why Editors Acquire Books” What are editors looking for? What is the difference between a major trade publisher and a smaller, boutique house? When will publishers pay a significant advance for a book? Do I need an agent? This workshop will focus on the acquisition process, looking at when a proposal vs. a complete manuscript is required by editors, the roll of a literary agent, and how to best secure a good contract from the right publisher for your work. An overview of the variety of publishing options available to authors will include strategies for creating a proposal that succeeds in getting an editor’s attention, what you can expect when selling your book directly to a publisher, and if/when partnering with an agent is the best choice in order to achieve your goals. There will be plenty of time for a Q&R to follow.
  • Kathleen Bostrom
    • “From Alpha to Omega, or What You Need to Know to Write and Publish a Picture Book for Children.” Kathy will draw from her personal experience writing and publishing over forty picture books for children. Where do you start? What are the specifics of picture book formats? How do you turn an idea into a publishable manuscript? What’s it like to collaborate with an illustrator? She’ll share advice from industry professionals, personal anecdotes and stories, how the business of writing has changed through the years, and some specifics about writing for the Christian market.

Breakout Seminars B – 2:00 PM

  • Michael Maudlin – HarperOne, SVP and Executive Editor
    • “Case Studies on How Great Writers Connect with Their Audiences” Here we take a case study approach of looking how some great writers strategized how to frame their books so that they not only appeal to readers but have a lasting impact.
  • Sharon Elliott
    • Starting Strong and Maintaining Momentum, Part 2: In part 2 of this seminar, you will gain a wealth of knowledge about what goes on in the Christian publishing business from an industry insider, and how you can become a part of it. Move to the excellent level by learning the ten P’s that will define your publishing success. You’ll leave knowing what people to surround yourself with, how to brand yourself, and how to develop your personal mission statement and tagline. In addition, you’ll start thinking through your publishing plan for the future, marketing ideas, the importance of building your “platform,” and much more.
  • Kathleen Bostrom
    • “Forty Books and Counting: How I Wrote and Published my First Picture Book.” Kathy will share her journey into the world of writing faith-based picture books for children, using her own rough drafts as teaching tools.
  • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life / Enliven Your Tribe!
    • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

Breakout Seminars C – 3:15 PM

    • Michael Maudlin – HarperOne, SVP and Executive Editor
      • “Case Studies on How Great Writers Connect with Their Audiences” Here we take a case study approach of looking how some great writers strategized how to frame their books so that they not only appeal to readers but have a lasting impact.
    • Marilyn McEntyre
      • “Visions and Revisions” At various points in composition one’s “sense of the whole” can shift and change. This session will consider the gentle art of revision—what happens as you develop your first draft, and what can happen as you reread and rethink what you’ve written. Revision can range from tinkering and fine-tuning to radical reframing that takes courage, humility, and a sense of adventure.
    • Terry Glaspey – Harvest House Publishers, Senior Acquisitions Editor
      • “What Great Writers Can Teach Us About Great Writing”: Perhaps the greatest goal for any writer is not to make the bestseller list, but to create work that will be read for generations. Using writers like Jane Austen, G.K. Chesterton, Thomas Merton, John Donne, and others as our guides, we’ll explore what makes their writing so enduring, and how we might incorporate some of their methods and vision into our own writing.
    • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life / Enliven Your Tribe!
      • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

 

Friday, March 29, 2019

Breakout Seminars D – 10:00 AM

  • Michael Maudlin – HarperOne, SVP and Executive Editor
    • “Case Studies on How Great Writers Connect with Their Audiences” Here we take a case study approach of looking how some great writers strategized how to frame their books so that they not only appeal to readers but have a lasting impact.
  • Aimee Bender
    • “How to Court the Unknown” Whether fiction or nonfiction, spiritual or material in subject matter, a writer’s relationship to the work, and how she positions herself in relationship to it, matters. We will talk about different ways to sit down with one’s work, how to encourage surprise and discovery, and how to allow the unexpected to take the writing to greater depth.
  • Terry Glaspey – Harvest House Publishers, Senior Acquisitions Editor
    • “From Brainstorming Your Ideas to Working With Your Editor: The Path to Becoming a Successful Author”: Helpful insider advice from a successful writer and a longtime editor about the process of creating the best book you can, with helpful tips on every step of the journey.
  • Roger Freet – literary agent
    • “The Path to Getting Published: How and Why Editors Acquire Books” What are editors looking for? What is the difference between a major trade publisher and a smaller, boutique house? When will publishers pay a significant advance for a book? Do I need an agent? This workshop will focus on the acquisition process, looking at when a proposal vs. a complete manuscript is required by editors, the roll of a literary agent, and how to best secure a good contract from the right publisher for your work. An overview of the variety of publishing options available to authors will include strategies for creating a proposal that succeeds in getting an editor’s attention, what you can expect when selling your book directly to a publisher, and if/when partnering with an agent is the best choice in order to achieve your goals. There will be plenty of time for a Q&R to follow.

Breakout Seminars E – 11:15 AM

  • Marilyn McEntyre
    • “Writing to Find Out” “How can I know what I think till I see what I say?” is a question worth claiming. It’s a reminder to writers that the process of writing isn’t recording thoughts or feelings that have already happened, but a process of generating or discovering or allowing thoughts and feelings to come, giving them a place and a way to be made explicit. We’ll reflect together on writing as receiving, exploring, and allowing, and do a few exercises designed to encourage receptivity, curiosity and discovery in the course of writing.
  • Sharon Elliott
    • “You Can Write a Book”  Have you ever thought about writing a book but did not know how to get started? Have you written a book, written several books, or have amazing ideas for books, yet you’ve had no or little success in getting those ideas published? The encouragement and instruction you will receive from this seminar will enable you to make actual steps toward seeing your publishing dreams become reality. If you skip this workshop, you will miss out on:
      • Learning what questions to ask yourself in regard to judging whether or not your book idea actually has merit
      • Gaining insight into what publishers are looking for when considering offering an author a book contract
      • Learning the definition and importance of a book proposal
      • Understanding the book proposal format
      • Receiving insight into how to actually start writing your own publishable book
  • Aimee Bender
    • “How to Court the Unknown” Whether fiction or nonfiction, spiritual or material in subject matter, a writer’s relationship to the work, and how she positions herself in relationship to it, matters. We will talk about different ways to sit down with one’s work, how to encourage surprise and discovery, and how to allow the unexpected to take the writing to greater depth.
  • Kathleen Bostrom
    • “From Alpha to Omega, or What You Need to Know to Write and Publish a Picture Book for Children.” Kathy will draw from her personal experience writing and publishing over forty picture books for children. Where do you start? What are the specifics of picture book formats? How do you turn an idea into a publishable manuscript? What’s it like to collaborate with an illustrator? She’ll share advice from industry professionals, personal anecdotes and stories, how the business of writing has changed through the years, and some specifics about writing for the Christian market.

Breakout Seminars F – 1:45 PM

  • Roger Freet – literary agent
    • “The Path to Getting Published: How and Why Editors Acquire Books” What are editors looking for? What is the difference between a major trade publisher and a smaller, boutique house? When will publishers pay a significant advance for a book? Do I need an agent? This workshop will focus on the acquisition process, looking at when a proposal vs. a complete manuscript is required by editors, the roll of a literary agent, and how to best secure a good contract from the right publisher for your work. An overview of the variety of publishing options available to authors will include strategies for creating a proposal that succeeds in getting an editor’s attention, what you can expect when selling your book directly to a publisher, and if/when partnering with an agent is the best choice in order to achieve your goals. There will be plenty of time for a Q&R to follow.
  • Terry Glaspey – Harvest House Publishers, Senior Acquisitions Editor
    • “The Arts and the Spiritual Journey”: a look at how to engage with the arts as a tool for spiritual formation and transformation. We’ll look at how writing, poetry, visual art, music, and film can make us more attuned to mystery, more attentive to what God is saying in the ordinary moments of life, more empathetic toward others, and more courageous in the face of our fears. A powerful message accompanied by some breathtaking visuals.
  • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life / Enliven Your Tribe!
    • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

Return to main conference page.