PRECONFERENCE: WRITING A KILLER FIRST CHAPTER:
A HANDS-ON WORKSHOP
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
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Hotel Information
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
If your first chapter doesn’t grab an agent or editor’s eye, then they won’t read on. This class analyzes what it takes to write a great opening sentence and opening chapter in order to guarantee that people will want to read more. Spend 8 hours with master teacher, Prof. Richard Krevolin and learn the secrets behind writing that grabs the attention of readers, agents and editors. Learn how to create real page turners with dynamic dialogue, surprising plots and compelling characters. Like all SEAK training, this workshop will be lively and interactive. Attendees will have the opportunity to get all their questions answered. There will be video examples and networking opportunities, and most importantly, the class will watch as Prof. Krevolin analyzes and edits ordinary first chapters and turns them into killer first chapters. Pre-Class Homework: Attendees are invited to submit a PDF file of their first chapter to be analyzed in class. Please understand that all submissions are not guaranteed to be critiqued during the seminar and all feedback is designed to be instructive and constructive, not destructive.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Following this course, attendees will be able to understand and utilize:
• The techniques, principles and disciplines of storytelling
• The use of myth to deepen your story
• Creating plots that work
• Creating sympathetic, three-dimensional characters
• Creating great opening sentences and chapters
• The essence of good dialogue
• Structure, structure, structure
• How to structure the first chapter and the whole novel
SCHEDULE
7:30–8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30–9:30 The Basic Principles of Storytelling!
The history of storytelling and how, we, as human beings, are hard-wired to remember stories. And then, how, you, as a writer, can tap into this.
9:30–12:00 Creative Writing 101: A Master’s Degree Course in Creative Writing in 120 Minutes or less!
• The Classic Aristotelian three act story structure
• The Seven Essential Elements of Storytelling
• Inciting Incidents and causal relationships in drama
• The importance of themes, tone and symbolism
• Creating original story-lines and scenes
12:00–1:00 Lunch With Faculty (Provided)
1:00–2:00 Examples of the secrets to writing great openings!
This part of the class will look at great openings and examine how to structure the rest of your story to be as engaging as your first chapter.
2:00–4:30 The Art of Revision – A Hands-on Approach
All first chapters and first drafts have problems. The key to writing that sells is the author’s ability to revise and rewrite. We will go over proven techniques to make your writing come to life by looking directly at attendees pages for the last two hours of the class.
4:30–5:00 The Creative Writers Survival Guide!
Questions and Answers about agents, publishers, and even book tours. Inspiring stories and tips on how to survive as a writer in a world that does not foster artistic creativity. Guerrilla tactics on how to make a living as a writer, lessons on perseverance, patience and persistence and how to sell what you write.
FACULTY
Richard Krevolin is an author, playwright, screenwriter, and teacher. A graduate of Yale University, Richard went on to earn a master’s degree in screenwriting at UCLA’s School of Cinema-Television, and a master’s degree in playwriting and fiction from USC. From 1990 - 2002, Richard taught both undergraduate and graduate screenwriting classes at the USC School of Cinema/TV as well as UCLA Film School, Ithaca and Pepperdine. Under his guidance, his students have sold film scripts and TV shows to Universal, Paramount, Dreamworks and numerous other studios and production companies. He is the author of the books, Screenwriting From The Soul (St. Martins Press), Pilot Your Life (Prentice-Hall), and How To Adapt Anything Into A Screenplay (Wiley and Sons). Richard also has several Young Adult novels that have been published and screenplays under option and in development in Hollywood.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Tuition for each 1-day preconference is $495 and includes continental breakfast, lunch, breaks, and a seminar handbook.
HOTEL INFORMATION
A limited block of rooms has been reserved at convention rates ($149/ single/double) at the site hotel. These rooms will be assigned on a first request basis. To reserve your room, please call 866-828-9111 and mention the SEAK, Inc. Fiction Writing for Physicians. The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis is surrounded by 52 totally private acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and offers an 18-hole par 54 golf course, a private patio or balcony for the 232 guest rooms, a complete fitness center, indoor and outdoor pools, a whirlpool, a complete spa, and free parking. The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis is conveniently located within walking distance of Main Street with its many shops and restaurants. Public beaches and the ferries to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are minutes from the hotel. A $12,000,000 renovation was completed at this property in June of 2008.
GETTING TO HYANNIS
The two major airports closest to Cape Cod are Logan International Airport in Boston, MA (70 miles) and T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island (80 miles). Barnstable Airport is a five minute drive from The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, but this is a commuter airport that has smaller planes and fewer flights. T.F. Green is preferred over Logan (if you can get a non-stop flight) as it is usually less congested. Rental cars, taxis and car service are available at all three airports.
CAPE COD
Cape Cod is a true destination spot that features beautiful beaches, warm water, great restaurants, historic towns, sightseeing, kayaking, whale watching, museums, numerous bike trails, shopping, nightlife, championship golf, and world famous boating. Cape Cod is also gateway to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. For more information on what to do on Cape Cod, please visit www.capecod.com.
Cancellations
Conference cancellations received in writing prior to October 1, 2010 will receive a full tuition refund.