Medical Fiction Writing Seminar 2002

Medical Fiction Writing Seminar 2002

SEAK's 3rd Annual
Medical Fiction Writing For Physicians
September 27-29, 2002 Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA	Registration Information Registration Form Faculty Schedule
Taught by NY Times best selling physician-authors:
Michael Palmer, MD author of Critical Judgment, Silent Treatment, Natural Causes, Extreme Measures, Flashback, Side Effects, The Sisterhood, Miracle Cure, The Patient and Fatal
Tess Gerritsen, MD
author of Harvest, Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity and The Surgeon

And featuring NY agents and editors looking for new physician-authors

Executive Summary

Medical 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.

To deliver this training, SEAK has put together a world-class faculty. New York Times best-selling physician-authors, Michael Palmer, MD and Tess Gerritsen, MD, will be teaching the course. The faculty also features four New York literary agents and editors looking for new physician-authors.

Like all SEAK training, Medical Fiction Writing For Physicians will be hands-on, lively, and interactive. Attendees will have the opportunity to get all their questions answered. There will be numerous writing exercises and attendees will have an opportunity to get their writing reviewed and evaluated.

The program will take place in a gorgeous setting � The Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort and Conference Center located in Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort offers 700' of private Cape Cod beach and ample amenities.

Space is limited for this special seminar. It is sure to sell out for the third straight year. Early registration is highly recommended.

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

Character: Naming and Describing, Back Story, History, Motivation, Relationships, Conflict, Dialogue, Minor Characters and Evolution of Characters

Plot: Building Scenes, Pacing, Developing, Suspense, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks

Getting Published: Agents and Editors, Writing a Synopsis and Query Letter, Acquisition and Publication Process, Manuscript Appearance, Ancillary Markets, and Book Tours

Writing Exercises and Group Discussion

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have a manuscript to attend or benefit from this course?

No - All you need is a desire or interest in writing.

If I have never written fiction before, is this course for me?

Yes - This course will help both the new and experienced writer.

Will this course help me get started?

Attendance is the first step to getting started. Don't put it off.

Will this course be work or fun?

It will be lively interactive and fascinating. You will "work" as much as you want to.

Will I get a chance to meet and talk to Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen?

Yes - They will both be at the course for three days and available to talk with you.

Seminar Benefits

Network with faculty, colleagues and New York agents and editors looking for new physician-authors
Learn from your peers who have made the transition from practicing physicians to international best-selling authors
Gain practical writing experience
Have your writing reviewed and critiqued by a faculty member
Soup to nuts fiction writing: from naming characters to getting an agent and getting published
Gorgeous location
Breakfast and lunch with Michael and Tess each day

This is the only course of its kind in the United States

What Last Year's Participants Had To Say About The Programs:

Enjoyed entire program. Critical + feature = the phenomenal faculty.
I love Tess' presentation, style, and enthusiasm! She and Michael are a great team!
Excellent group discussions.
I was most impressed by the two famous authors giving so much of their time to present the material and interact with us. That makes the difference in this program being "helpful" and "indispensable". It was a moment to remember.
Michael and Tess were great and a big help! Hell, I even bought their books!
Informative, inspirational, and enjoyable.
Best writing seminar I've been to.
I didn't realize Tess and Michael would be running it! That was a great surprise! I thought they were going to be guest speakers only!
Excellent to hear successful authors give all of their own concentrated experiences � was unprecedented.
Loved it! The best I've ever attended!

Faculty

Tess Gerritsen, MD

Tess Gerritsen, MD is the New York Times best selling author of five medical thrillers: HARVEST (1996), LIFE SUPPORT (1997), BLOODSTREAM (1998), GRAVITY (1999), and THE SURGEON (2001). 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.

Michael Palmer, MD

Michael Palmer, MD, is the New York Times best-selling author of CRITICAL JUDGEMENT, SILENT TREATMENT, NATURAL CAUSES, EXTREME MEASURES, FLASHBACK, SIDE EFFECTS, THE SISTERHOOD, MIRACLE CURE, THE PATIENT and FATAL. 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.

Agents and Editors

New York literary agents and editors who work in commercial fiction and are looking for new physician-authors. Meg Ruley joined the Jane Rotrosen Agency in 1981. The Jane Rotrosen Agency is best known for representing authors of commercial fiction and non-fiction. During her tenure, she has directed several of the agency's subsidiary rights departments (film/television, foreign rights, first serial) as well as represented her own list of writers. Allison McCabe is a senior editor at Berkley Books, a division of Penguin Putnam. She has worked with authors such as Jeffrey Archer, Susan Issacs, Tony Hillerman, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Simon Winchester. She acquires both fiction and non-fiction. Ellen C. Geiger is a Senior Agent with Curtis Brown, Ltd. where she represents mystery and thriller authors Wes Craven, Sujata Massey, Donna Andrews, Keith Snyder, Chassie West, Earlene Fowler, Father Brad Reynolds and Carolyn Wheat, as well as many other writers of both fiction and non-fiction. Sara Ann Freed joined Mysterious Press in 1985 and is now its editor-in-chief. When Mysterious Press was acquired by Warner Books in 1990, she also became a senior editor of Warner. She acquires a wide range of crime fiction, including traditional mystery, suspense, espionage, and literary mystery. She has worked with many writers, including Margaret Maron, Nicci French, Ellis Peters, Marcia Muller, Elizabeth Peters, Aaron Elkins, Lindsey Davis, Tim Green, Kate White and Michael Walsh.

Steven Babitsky, Esq.

Steven Babitsky, Esq. was a personal injury attorney for twenty years. His fiction credits include "Mastering Your Master" and "Another Day � Another Dollar."

Beth Wechsler, MSW

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

Schedule
Friday, September 27, 2002
7:00-8:30 PM	Reception Personal Success Stories: Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen Discussion with Authors/Seminar Leaders
Saturday, September 28, 2002
7:30-8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00-10:00	Mechanics of Writing: In Depth Premises vs. Plot, Ideas and Where You Get Theme, Setting and Atmosphere, Showing vs. Telling, Points of View Writing Exercise Group Discussion
10:00-10:15	Break/Networking Opportunity
10:15-12:15	Character in Depth 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	Character in Depth (Continued) Writing Exercise Group Discussion
2:30 - 2:45	Break/Networking Opportunity
2:45-5:15	Plot in Depth Building Scenes, Developing Suspense, Pacing, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks Writing Exercise Group Discussion
5:15-6:15	Book Signing Palmer and Gerritsen
Sunday, September 29, 2002
7:30-8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00-10:00	Plot in Depth Subplots, Handling Transitions, Starting and Ending Chapters, Suspense and Surprise, Themes, Flashbacks Writing Exercise Group Discussion
10:00-10:15	Break and Networking Opportunity
10:15-12:15	Getting Published Agents and Editors, How to Write a Synopsis and Query Letter, Publication Process, Manuscript Appearances and Mechanics, Ancillary Markets, Book Tours Group Discussion
12:15-1:30	Lunch (Provided) with Faculty
1:30-3:00	Research, Editing, and Revising: In Depth How to Research Cost Effectively, Editing Process, When is Enough Revising Enough
3:00-5:00	Writer's Problems and How to Overcome Them: In Depth Writer's Block, Distractions, Fears, Leaving the Nest (Spouses Invited)
5:00	Concluding Remarks