The first Beach House Writing Salon was so well received that we have decided to do another. Although we were hoping that that would be the plan all along...
So... please join us on Saturday, April 18, 2015, for Beach House Writing Salon II, a full day of writing tips and advice for aspiring authors from four established authors with multiple books, both fiction and non-fiction, under their belts. Laurel Corona, Steve Jackson, Chip Jacobs, and Caitlin Rother will conduct workshops, one-on-one critiques, and a panel discussion -- on a topic to be voted upon by salon attendees the day of the event. We will finish the evening with a rockin' beach party with live music, adult beverages, a book signing, and good clean literary and artistic fun.
Workshops:
Bringing Your Characters to Life
How do authors create memorable characters who jump off the page and seem as real as people you know? National award-winning historical novelist Laurel Corona discusses how to choose and develop characters from pre-writing through to the final draft. She will help you consider big picture issues such as choosing a point of view, as well as using details of dialogue and action to create living, breathing characters. Laurel will also explain how she does her historical research to develop and give her characters verisimilitude.
A Mechanics Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of Structure
New York Times bestselling author and veteran journalist Steve Jackson will help beginners get started writing their books and more experienced writers learn to build better books by discovering the difference between writing well and writing with power and purpose. In this how-to guide to structure, Steve reveals the five necessary components of "story," applicable to fiction and narrative non-fiction, then discusses in concrete terms their importance, how to identify and apply them, and how they relate to each other holistically, without bogging down in theory.
Bringing Your Characters to Life
How do authors create memorable characters who jump off the page and seem as real as people you know? National award-winning historical novelist Laurel Corona discusses how to choose and develop characters from pre-writing through to the final draft. She will help you consider big picture issues such as choosing a point of view, as well as using details of dialogue and action to create living, breathing characters. Laurel will also explain how she does her historical research to develop and give her characters verisimilitude.
A Mechanics Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of Structure
New York Times bestselling author and veteran journalist Steve Jackson will help beginners get started writing their books and more experienced writers learn to build better books by discovering the difference between writing well and writing with power and purpose. In this how-to guide to structure, Steve reveals the five necessary components of "story," applicable to fiction and narrative non-fiction, then discusses in concrete terms their importance, how to identify and apply them, and how they relate to each other holistically, without bogging down in theory.
Finding Your Voice
Veteran journalist and award-winning author Chip Jacobs will speak about developing your writer's voice to convey who you are, your personality, your experience, and when relevant your fire-in-the-belly beliefs, as you type every word on the page. As a storyteller, your voice is the master fingerprint that connects you to readers, but like a sculptor, you must be patient as you chisel your voice into its final and most artistic form. Part of finding your voice is deciding on your characters' point of view, to illuminate the interior needs of the characters in their tale, using dialogue, actions and body language to keep the readers invested as the drama unfolds.
Veteran journalist and award-winning author Chip Jacobs will speak about developing your writer's voice to convey who you are, your personality, your experience, and when relevant your fire-in-the-belly beliefs, as you type every word on the page. As a storyteller, your voice is the master fingerprint that connects you to readers, but like a sculptor, you must be patient as you chisel your voice into its final and most artistic form. Part of finding your voice is deciding on your characters' point of view, to illuminate the interior needs of the characters in their tale, using dialogue, actions and body language to keep the readers invested as the drama unfolds.
Building Your Brand and Author Platform
If you are an aspiring author, you need to raise your profile and strengthen your credentials to capture the attention of agents and publishers before you even submit your manuscript. And if you are an established author, you need to continue to build your platform to maintain your relevancy with readers and publishers, and to reach the next level. Join New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother for this seminar on how to establish your brand and build your platform, based on her own experience. Starting as a shy journalist, she parlayed that into a portfolio career as an author, crime expert on radio and TV, public speaker, instructor, coach, consultant and event planner. Caitlin will discuss some of the ways to help make you, your experience and your specific book(s) stand out in the marketplace and to achieve the dream of becoming a full-time author.
--The salon will be at a house in the Crown Point neighborhood of San Diego on Mission Bay, at 3712 Riviera, 92109.
--Check-in begins at 8:45 a.m., one-on-one critiques at 9, workshops at 9:30, lunch at 12 noon, followed by more workshops, panel discussion at 4 p.m., and party from 5:30 to 7 p.m.. (Attendees will have an hour for lunch on their own, on the beach if they choose.)
--Parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood although, depending on when you arrive, you may have to walk a few blocks.
Cost:
--Sign up until March 15 for just $165, until April 17 for $180, and $200 for late registration walk-ins. This price includes entry to workshops, panel discussion, beach party (we will supply hors d’oeuvres, but attendees need to BYOB whatever alcohol they want to drink) and book signing.
--For an extra bonus, we are offering one-on-one critiques: a 15-minute session, with your author of choice, to discuss 10 typed double-spaced pages, submitted by April 10, for $50; or to get feedback on a verbal book idea pitch for $40. Critique appointments will be made with specific authors on a first-come, first-served basis.
Incentive sign-up bonus:
The first five attendees to sign up for the salon AND a critique will receive a set of free books from the authors.
To sign up:
Please contact Caitlin Rother, crother@flash.net to arrange a payment, or ask about registration and critiques. Attendance will be limited. Payment must be received to reserve a seat.
Bios of faculty:
Award-winning author Laurel Corona is the author of four historical novels heralding women whose roles were forgotten or undervalued in society, with publishers including Simon & Schuster and Penguin. Two of these, THE FOUR SEASONS and FINDING EMILIE, won the Theodor S. Geisel Award for book of the year in San Diego, and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Her national award-winning non-fiction book, UNTIL OUR LAST BREATH, chronicled the Jewish resistance during the Holocaust (St. Martin's Press). She has also written 17 young adult titles for Lucent Books. Corona has a Ph.D. in English from the University of California at Davis, and taught writing and humanities at SDSU and San Diego City College before retiring in 2014. http://laurelcorona.com
With the WildBlue Press indie release of his latest true crime, BOGEYMAN, in August 2014, New York Times bestselling author and veteran journalist Steve Jackson has authored nine nonfiction books—true crime, history and biography—and collaborated with former New York assistant district attorney Robert K. Tanenbaum to write 11 crime thrillers in the Butch Karp fiction series. Publisher of WildBlue Press, Jackson has taught writing and journalism as an adjunct instructor at Oregon State University in Corvallis, and at Metropolitan State University in Denver. Jackson is based in Colorado. http://wildbluepress.com/authors/steve-jackson-bio/
Chip Jacobs, an award-winning California writer and veteran journalist, is the co-author of two environmental page-turners, THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHEMICALS and the bestselling SMOGTOWN. His other books include the true crime and dark comedy thriller, THE ASCENSION OF JERRY, a collection of stories entitled, THE VICODIN THIEVES, and a pair of biographies, the first of which is due out this fall. His reporting has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, L.A. Weekly, and the Daily News of Los Angeles. http://chipjacobs.com
New York Times bestselling author Caitlin Rother has written or co-authored 10 books of narrative non-fiction and fiction, mostly involving crime stories, including her upcoming THEN NO ONE CAN HAVE HER (Kensington/Pinnacle, November 2015). Her latest non-fiction, I’LL TAKE CARE OF YOU, and her first and only novel, NAKED ADDICTION, were released in 2014. Rother, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative newspaper reporter for 19 years, is now writing books #11 and #12. She works as a book doctor, writing/research/promotions coach and consultant, and teaches narrative non-fiction, author branding and digital journalism at UCSD Extension and San Diego Writers, Ink. She has also done more than 100 appearances as a crime expert on national TV/radio on Investigation Discovery, E!, Oxygen Network, FOX, HLN, C-SPAN, and PBS affiliates. http://caitlinrother.com.
To sign up and make a payment, or ask about registration and critiques, please contact Caitlin Rother, crother@flash.net. Attendance will be limited. Payment must be received to reserve a seat.
