Medical Fiction Writing Seminar 2003

Medical Fiction Writing Seminar 2003

SEAK's 4th Annual
Medical Fiction Writing For Physicians
September 12-14, 2003 Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA	Registration Information Registration Form Faculty Schedule PDF Version Reviews
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 TEN NY agents and editors looking for new physician-authors

Executive Summary

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. 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 ten New York literary agents and editors looking for new physician-authors. Space is limited for this special seminar. It is sure to sell out for the fourth 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
Network with faculty and colleagues

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 will be present. This year we have more than doubled the number of our agents and editors.

Marcia Amsterdam is an agent at Marcia Amsterdam Agency. She is interested in medical and legal thrillers.

Michael Bourret is an agent at Jayne Dystel Literary Management and is interested in literary and commercial fiction.

Nina Collins is an agent at Collins McCormack Literary Agency and is interested in literary and commercial fiction.

Elaine English is an agent at Graybill & English, LLC, in Washington, DC. She is an attorney who expanded her legal practice to include agenting of commercial fiction.

Sara Ann Freed joined Mysterious Press in 1985 and is now its Editor-In-Chief. When Mysterious Press was acquired by Warner Books, she also became a Senior Editor of Warner.

Ellen C. Geiger is a senior agent with Curtis Brown Ltd., where she represents Wes Craven, Sujata Massey, Donna Anders, as well as many other writers of both fiction and nonfiction.

Allison McCabe is a senior editor at Berkley Books, a division of Penguin Putnam. She acquires both fiction and nonfiction.

Susan Ann Protter is a New York agent who is interested in suspense fiction including thrillers.

Meg Ruley joined the Jane Rotrosen Agency in 1981 and is best known for representing authors of commercial fiction and nonfiction.

Page Wheeler is an agent with Creative Media Agency, Inc. She is most interested in commercial fiction thrillers and mysteries.

Steven Babitsky, Esq.

Steven Babitsky, Esq. was a personal injury attorney for twenty years. He is the co-author of many works in the medical-legal arena. He is the co-author of ten books.

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 12, 2003
7:00-8:30 PM	Reception Personal Success Stories: Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen Discussion with Authors/Seminar Leaders
Saturday, September 13, 2003
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 14, 2003
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