SEAK, Inc. 11th Annual FICTION WRITING FOR PHYSICIANS
OCTOBER 22-24, 2010
The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Hyannis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Executive Summary
Make your writing dream a reality at SEAK’s 11th Annual Fiction Writing for Physicians Workshop. Fiction Writing For Physicians has been designed to give aspiring physician authors what they have never before had: hands-on and practical training on how to write medical fiction and get published.

The course is taught by two New York Times best-selling physician-authors, Michael Palmer, MD and Tess Gerritsen, MD. Like all SEAK training, Fiction Writing For Physicians is hands-on, lively, and interactive. Attendees will have the opportunity to get all their questions answered. Attendees will also have an opportunity to get their writing and query letters reviewed and evaluated.

The faculty also features 14 literary agents looking for new physician-authors. Space is limited for this special workshop. Early registration is highly recommended.

Seminar Benefits
• Learn to write from your peers who have made the transition from practicing physicians to international best-selling authors
• Gain practical writing experience
• Get written feedback from concise writing exercises dealing with conflict, premises, dialogue, and writing action scenes
• Have a portion of your manuscript (if you have one) reviewed and critiqued by a faculty member at no extra charge
• Soup to nuts fiction writing: from naming characters to getting an agent and getting published
• Have your query letter reviewed and critiqued (with suggested improvements) by a faculty member at no extra charge
• Have your query letter placed in the hands of numerous literary agents (if desired)
• Motivation to write – Others have made the breakthrough and so can you!
• Have your books signed by two New York Times best-selling physician-authors
• Network with agents and colleagues at the seminar meals and during the private “book party” reception Saturday night
• Small group breakout sessions with agents Sunday morning
• Breakfast and lunch with Michael and Tess each day
• An unforgettable, inspiring experience
• Actually have fun at a conference for physicians!

Topics Covered
• Personal Success Stories: Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen
• Mechanics of Writing: Premises vs. Plot, Ideas, Settings and Atmosphere, Showing vs. Telling, Points of View
• Characters: Naming and Describing, Back Story, History, Motivation, Relationships, Conflict, Dialogue, Minor Characters,    Evolution of Characters
• Plot: Building Scenes, Pacing, Developing, Suspense, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks
• Getting Published: Agents, Writing a Synopsis and Query Letter, Acquisition and Publication Process, Manuscript Appearance, Ancillary Markets, Book Tours
• Writing Exercises and Group Discussions

Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I need to have a manuscript to attend or benefit from this course?
A. No. All you need is a desire or interest in writing.

Q. If I have never written fiction before, is this course for me?
A. Yes. This course will help both the new and experienced writer.

Q. Will this course help me get started?
A. Attendance is the first step to getting started. Don’t put it off.

Q. Will this course be work or fun?
A. It will be lively, interactive, and fascinating. You will “work” as much as you want to.

Q. Will I get a chance to meet and talk to Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen?
A. Yes. They will both be at the course for three days and available to talk with you.

Q. Is CME credit offered in conjunction with this course?
A. No. This is a fun and inspirational weekend, not a CME conference.

Q. Can my spouse attend with me?
A. Your spouse is welcome to attend the Friday night reception, the Saturday night “book party” and the last session on Sunday dealing with writer’s problems.

Q. Is this the same course featured in the New York Times?
A. Yes.

Q. What types of feedback will I receive on my writing?
A. A written critique of concise writing exercises, a written review of up to three chapters of your manuscript and a review and critique of your query letter.

Q. Will I get a chance to meet and talk with agents?
A. Yes. There are small group breakout sessions with the agents on Sunday morning specifically for this purpose.  Additionally, there will be agents in attendance at the seminar lunches and at Saturday night’s book party.

Q. Will I be able to ask questions?
A. Yes. There will be substantial time reserved for questions and answers.

Q. Are there things for my spouse to do while I’m in class?
A. Cape Cod is a great area for people of all interests to spend time. We recommend that you have a car available and your spouse will be able to enjoy many activities including: golf, museums, touring the islands of Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket, whale watching, kayaking, fine dining, shopping, historical sites, hiking, fishing, bicycling, etc.

Q. Will you have Michael and Tess’s books available for sale?
A. Yes.

Q. If I submit a query letter to you, what will happen to it?
A. We’ll give you feedback on how to improve it and will distribute it to all the agents on our panel if you so request.

Q. Can non-physicians attend?
A. The course is designed for physicians and the vast majority of those in attendance will be physicians, however it is open to anyone interested in writing.

Q. Will this course save me time?
A. Yes. Attendees avoid wasting valuable time by not going down blind alleys.

Faculty
Michael Palmer, MD is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Surgeon, The Society, Critical Judgment, Silent Treatment, Natural Causes, Extreme Measures, Flashback, Side Effects, The Sisterhood, Miracle Cure, The Patient, Fatal, The Fifth Vial, The First Patient, and The Second Opinion. Extreme Measures was made into a 1996 film by Castlerock Pictures starring Hugh Grant and Gene Hackman. His books have been translated into thirty languages. He trained in internal medicine at Boston City and Massachusetts General Hospitals, spent twenty years as a full-time practitioner of internal medicine, and is now an Associate Director of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Physician Health Program.

Tess Gerritsen, MD is the New York Times best-selling author of ten medical thrillers: Harvest, Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity, The Surgeon, The Apprentice, The Sinner,  Body Double, Vanish, The Mephisto Club, The Bone Garden, The Keepsake and Ice Cold. She received her BA from Stanford University and her MD from the University of California, San Francisco. She practiced as an internist for five years before leaving medicine to raise her children and concentrate on her new career as a novelist. Among her other writing credits are nine romantic thriller novels, as well as the screenplay for the 1993 CBS movie of the week, “Adrift,” starring Kate Jackson. The feature film rights for Gravity have been sold to New Line Cinema.  

Steven Babitsky, Esquire was a personal injury attorney for twenty years. He is the co-author of ten books and is the developer of SEAK’s Fiction Writing for Physicians seminar.

Beth Wechsler, MSW brings a combination of writing and group facilitation skills to the workshop. Nationally known for her books for high-risk youth, her stories have been published in Yankee, eBay Magazine, the Boston Globe, Consumer Reports and regularly in Cape Cod newspapers.

Literary Agents

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency LLC., a boutique agency representing a diverse base of award-winning clients in the areas of adult fiction and non-fiction, young adult, and children’s literature.

Sheree Bykofsky is the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published and is a New York Literary Agent who represents some 100 book authors in all areas of adult non-fiction, literary and commercial fiction.

Ann Collette has been an associate at the Helen Rees Literary Agency in Boston, MA, since 2000. Her fiction list includes mystery, horror, suspense and thriller authors.

April Eberhardt joined Reece Halsey North as a Literary Agent in 2008 after five years of editorial work with Zoetrope: All-Story, a literary magazine, and another agency. While she represents a range of fiction and non-fiction, her specialty is adult literary fiction, particularly ironic family dramas and realistic midlife tales, often with a twist, preferably involving strong female characters. She does not represent mysteries or murders, thrillers, historical fiction or fantasy, nor does she represent children’s titles.

Elizabeth Evans joined the Jean V. Naggar Agency in January, 2010. Previously, she worked for six years with Kimberley Cameron & Associates (formerly the Reece Halsey Agency). Elizabeth specializes in nonfiction, including memoir, current affairs, pop culture, relationships, journalism, history and popular science. She also represents select titles in up-market women’s fiction, mysteries and young adult novels.

Paul Fedorko brings his wide array of publishing experience and unique skills, plus a diverse list of clients to Trident Media Group.  Paul is currently looking for commercial fiction, thrillers, mysteries, romantic suspense, business, sports, celebrity and popular culture.

Billy Kingsland is an agent at Kuhn Projects, a literary agency in New York City.  He started his career in book publishing at the Russell & Volkening Agency, and prior to joining Kuhn Projects in 2004, he worked in the literary department of the William Morris Agency. He represents a broad range of writing, including literary and commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and practical nonfiction.

Miriam Kriss is a literary agent with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency in New York. She is interested in commercial fiction and thrillers. Her first solo sale was from a first-time author and hit several bestseller lists.

Benjamin LeRoy is the founder of Bleak House Books, an independent publisher of crime and dark literary fiction. He lives in Madison, WI, where he spends his free time working on his own writing and being constantly fascinated by the history of baseball and what it has meant to the fabric of America.

Paul S. Levine opened the Paul S. Levine Literary Agency in 1996, specializing in the representation of book authors and the sale of motion picture and television rights in and to books. Since starting his literary agency, Mr. Levine has sold over one hundred (100) fiction and non-fiction books to over thirty (30) different publishers and has had several books developed as movies-for-television.

Emmanuelle Morgen joined Judith Ehrlich Literary Management in August 2008. Previously she was an agent at Wendy Sherman Associates. She enjoys developing long-term relationships with her clients, helping them to build their literary careers and promote their work. Emmanuelle’s fiction authors include Danielle Younge-Ullman (Falling Under) and Alissa Johnson (As Luck Would Have It).

Gina Panettieri is President of the Milford, Connecticut-based Talcott Notch Literary, and has worked in publishing for twenty years as agent, freelance editor and writer. She represents both fiction and nonfiction, and is most intently seeking mystery, suspense, thrillers, as well as prescriptive nonfiction, including health, parenting, psych self-help and career, finance and business titles.

Adriann Ranta is a literary agent at Wolf Literary Services, actively acquiring both fiction and nonfiction for all ages. While an avid reader of most subjects and themes, she is most interested in gritty, realistic, true-to-life stories with conflicts based in the real world. She likes edgy, dark, challenging voices, unique settings, and everyman stories told with a new spin.

Rachel Vogel is an agent and the foreign rights manager at Movable Type Literary Group.  Prior to joining MTLG last June, she worked at Lippincott Massie McQuilkin.  She represents literary and upmarket commercial fiction, narrative nonfiction, and memoir. Before agenting, she was a Junior Scout at Maria B Campbell Associates, where she scouted American books for the foreign publishing market as well as for Warner Brothers.

SCHEDULE

MAIN CONFERENCE Friday Evening, October 22, 2010

7:00 - 8:30 Reception (Spouses Invited, Hors D’Ouerves and Cocktails provided)
Personal Success Stories: Michael Palmer, MD and Tess Gerritsen, MD
Group Discussion

MAIN CONFERENCE Saturday, October 23, 2010
7:30 - 8:00 Continental Breakfast

8:00 - 10:00 Mechanics of Writing
Premises vs. Plot, Ideas and Where You Get Them, Setting and Atmosphere,  Writing Exercise, Group Discussion

10:00 - 10:15 Break and Networking Opportunity

10:15 - 12:15 Characters
Naming and Describing Your Characters, Back Story, History of Characters, Motivation,
Relationships, Conflict, Dialogue, Minor Characters, Evolution of Characters Throughout the Book

12:15 - 1:30 Lunch (Provided) with Faculty

1:30 - 2:30 Characters (Continued)
Writing Exercise, Group Discussion

2:30 - 2:45 Break and Networking Opportunity

2:45 - 5:15 Plot
Building Scenes, Developing Suspense, Pacing, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks, Writing Exercise,
Group Discussion

5:15 - 6:30 Book Signing (Spouses Invited)
Tess Gerritsen, MD and Michael Palmer, MD—Bring your own books or purchase Tess and     Michael’s books at the seminar

8:00 - 11:00 pm “Book Party” Reception (Spouses Invited, Entertainment Provided)
Meet, mingle and mix with fellow attendees, agents and faculty members at a private reception.

MAIN CONFERENCE Sunday, October 24, 2010
7:30 - 8:00 Continental Breakfast

8:00 - 10:00 Plot (Continued)
Subplots, Handling Transitions, Starting and Ending Chapters, Suspense and Surprise, Themes, Flashbacks, Writing    Exercises, Showing vs. Telling, Group Discussion

10:00 - 10:15  Break and Networking Opportunity

10:15 - 11:15  Getting Published (Presented By SEAK’s Panel of Agents)
Agents, How to Write a Synopsis and Query Letter, Publication Process, Manuscript Appearances and Mechanics,    Ancillary Markets, Book Tours

11:15 - 12:15  Small Group Breakout Sessions with Agents
Each agent will run a question and answer interactive session with a small group of attendees. Attendees should    have their concise pitches ready.

12:15 - 1:30 Lunch (Provided) with Faculty & Agents

1:30 - 3:00 Research, Editing, and Revising
How to Research Cost Effectively, Editing Process, When is Enough Revising Enough

3:00 - 3:15 Break and Networking Opportunity

3:15 - 4:00 Writer’s Problems and How to Overcome Them (Spouses invited)
Writer’s Block, Distractions, Fears, Leaving the Nest

4:00 - 4:15 Concluding Remarks

Tuition/Discounts: Tuition for each 1-day preconference is $495 and includes continental breakfast, lunch, breaks, and a seminar handbook. Tuition for the 11th Annual Fiction Writing Workshop for Physicians is $1,295 and includes:

• The Friday night reception with Michael and Tess (spouses invited),
• Continental breakfast and lunch with faculty on Saturday and Sunday,
• Seminar handbook,
• All sessions,
• Saturday night private “book party” reception with entertainment (spouses invited),
• Small group breakout sessions with agents on Sunday morning,
• Faculty reading, review and critique of up to three chapters of your manuscript (if you register prior to October 1, 2010),
• Book signing session on Saturday evening (spouses invited),
• Faculty review and written critique of your query letter (if you register prior to October 1, 2010),
• Distribution of your query letter to numerous literary agents (if desired),
• Faculty review and written critique of concise writing exercises (if you  register prior to October 1, 2010).
NOTE: There is a 20% discount for two or more physicians registering together prior to August 18, 2010.

Query Letter Review, Query Letter Distribution, Writing Exercise Feedback, Writing Sample Review. You will be sent ten short writing exercises when you register along with instructions on how to submit these for feedback from a faculty member. You will be provided with instructions on how to submit your query letter for critique and distribution to agents and how to submit up to three chapters of your manuscript for review by a faculty member.  There is no fee for any of the above “extras.”

Location/Hotel Accommodations: All workshops will be held on Cape Cod, at The Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Hyannis, MA. A limited block of rooms has been reserved at special rates ($149/single/double) at the site hotel. These rooms will be assigned on a first request basis. To make your reservations, please call 866-828-9111 and say that you are with the SEAK, Inc. group.

Cancellations: Conference cancellations received in writing prior to October 1, 2010 will receive a full tuition refund.

HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

THE RESORT AND CONFERENCE CENTER AT HYANNIS
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.