Medical Fiction Writing Seminar 2005

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Do I have 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. Why should I enter the Fiction Writing Competition?

A. Three reasons. It’s fun, it’s free and a good showing can launch a new career in writing. Just ask past winner Clair Matturo, author of Skinny Dipping, who’s win in a SEAK competition was the key to her getting published. Says Clair, "The SEAK prize proved to be my toe in the door with Carolyn Marino, my Editor and Vice-President of HarperCollins."

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.

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)
• Gorgeous location
• Motivation to write – Others have made the breakthrough and so can you!
• Enter the National Fiction Writing Competition for Physicians and help launch your writing career
• 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!

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

Be inspired and motivated!

Past Attendee Reviews

"It’s been hard to get back to work this week without constantly seeing the "What if" in everything around me. Not only was your seminar the most fun I’ve had at a medical meeting in years, I have decided to challenge myself and see if I can really get a manuscript together. This week I was able to get nearly 60 pages written by getting up at 4:30am, and writing for two hours before I left for work. My wife thinks you created a monster! I wonder when the fire will burn out? Hopefully not until the 350th page. Thanks again for a great time!"

"I thought you would like to hear a success story. I attended your Fiction Writing Class for Physicians. Since then I recently sent my manuscript-in-progress to some agents and it got picked up. I’ll be finished soon then it’s off to find a publisher. How about that?"

"Last year’s SEAK Medical Fiction Writing Workshop was the first writing workshop or conference I have ever attended. I had written two novels prior to attending the conference and had been unable to acquire an agent. I finally recognized that I needed some help. At the conference, I met a senior agent from a very prestigious firm, who was kind enough to take an interest in my partially completed novel, with an eye to representation. Another agent has also contacted me. This is my big chance to succeed in being represented and published. I owe it all to your conference and the agent I met there."

"I wanted to share my recent good news with you. I was just awarded first place in a national short story competition, The Hackney Literary Awards. To accept this honor I will attend the Writing Today conference at Birmingham Southern College and will give a reading of my work, as well as receiving a cash award. I am very excited and wanted you to know that I credit your course for teaching me to write at a competitive level."

"I attended the SEAK Fiction conference on Cape Cod. I still even a few months later recall the time there and enjoyed it thoroughly. Your conference, including Michael and Tess were great! I also wanted to let you know that the SEAK conference was inspirational to me. I though of Michael’s use of the prologue and came home invigorated to try it, and I think it has made a big difference for the start of my book. So, thanks. I am excited to send it off again to get an agent’s attention."

"The medical fiction writing conference on Cape Cod was an inspiring, wonderful experience for me. Tess Gerritsen and Michael Palmer were exceptional instructors, and so accessible and down-to-earth. Very encouraging listening to them, especially where I am, just getting started. Thank you for the effort assembling all the agents- it was great to get a chance to talk with them, and gain a more practical perspective on going further. The conference was so well done, and I know that took a lot of dedication. Thanks again."

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

"Far exceeded my expectations. I’d pay 3 times as much to attend!"* "Absolutely fantastic. Insightful. Informative and detailed. Bottom line and essential information." * "Excellent and useful." * "Well done." * "Always interested in writing, this was the push I needed." * "Perfect!" * "I appreciated all the anecdotal material, you can’t find this in books." * "Excellent, inspiring, informative. I’m totally encouraged to write and will consider returning to the conference." * "The seminar motivated me, and leaves me feeling that a door has been opened." * "Outstanding, I loved it!" * "Excellent presentation, excellent speakers." * "Very good." * "The speakers were great. My only feedback is THANK YOU!"*

*"My name is Ilene Brenner, and I attended your fantastic conference
last October.
For the record, I can tell you, that your course is an invaluable
resource, and I highly recommend it to any writer interested in
improving their craft. I went to the non fiction section as my
primary reason for attending the conference. But I stayed for the
fiction part as well and am glad I did.
Thank you for putting together such an amazing conference."

Sincerely,
Ilene R. Brenner, MD*

Faculty

Tess Gerritsen, MD

Tess Gerritsen, MD is the New York Times best-selling author of eight medical thrillers: Harvest (1996), Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003) and Body Double (2004). 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 The Society, 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

Literary agents who work in commercial fiction and are looking for new physician-authors will be present.

Diane Bartoli is a Literary Agent with Artists Literary Group (ALG) in New York City. Diane is eagerly looking for new writers to represent. She was previously an editor at Dell Publishing.

Meredith Bernstein is of the New York City Meredith Bernstein Literary Agency. She is interested in new fiction, a good storyteller and a beautiful voice.

Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency, a boutique agency representing a diverse base of award-winning clients in the areas of adult fiction.

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.

Esmond Harmsworth is a founding partner of the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency. Esmond represents fiction and non-fiction. For fiction, he represents literary fiction, mystery, and crime. His non-fiction list is very varied, and includes biography, true-crime, popular science, business, media, politics, history, memoir, international affairs, and psychology. He is in charge of the agency’s foreign rights department and deals directly with publishers in London.

Allison McCabe is Senior Editor at Berkley Books, a division of Penguin Group (USA), Inc. She acquires both fiction and non-fiction.

Peter Miller is an agent at PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc. He is most interested in agenting action/suspense fiction, and thrillers.

Lori Pope is a Literary Agent who founded Writers Represent, a Harlem based Literary Agency with an eclectic roster of authors, including journalists, novelists, academics, and other professionals. Writers Represent carves a specific niche; nurturing the careers of writers who have "come of age" in their craft, the next generation of novelists, historians, social critics, and public intellectuals.

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

Rita Rosenkranz is a Literary Agent in New York City. She specializes in all areas of non-fiction.

Meg Ruley is a Literary Agent with the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York City. She represents authors of commercial fiction. Prior to becoming an agent one of her jobs was answering Morris the Cat’s fan mail.

Katharine Sands is a Literary Agent with the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency in New York City. She represents a wide range of authors in a wide range of fiction.

Christina Ward is of the Christine Ward Literary Agency and has been a Literary Agent in the Boston area since 1992. She was previously an editor with Little, Brown and Company and represents authors of literary fiction and suspense novels.

Steven Babitsky, Esq.

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

Beth Wechsler, MSW

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.

*Schedule*

MAIN CONFERENCE Friday Evening, October 21, 2005

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

MAIN CONFERENCE Saturday, October 22, 2005

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, Showing vs. Telling, Points of View, Writing Exercise, Group Discussion

10:00 - 10:15 Break and Networking Opportunity

10:15 - 12:15 Character
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 (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 in the hotel’s Surfside Lounge.

MAIN CONFERENCE Sunday, October 23, 2005

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, 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 on faculty will run a question and answer/interaction session with a small group of attendees. Attendees should have their concise pitches ready.

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

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 - 5:00 Writer’s Problems and How to Overcome Them (Spouses invited)
Writer’s Block, Distractions, Fears, Leaving the Nest

5:00 - 5:15 Concluding Remarks

SEAK's 6th Annual
Medical Fiction Writing For Physicians
October 21-23, 2005 Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA	Registration Information Registration Form Faculty Schedule PDF Version Reviews from past attendees
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 Body Double, Harvest, Life Support, Bloodstream, Gravity, The Surgeon, The Apprentice, and The Sinner

SEAK Medical Fiction Writing for Physicians 2005
The Secrets to Writing a Best Seller	How to Write a Medical Memoir		Medical Fiction Writing Breaking Through	Screenwriting	Getting First Novel Published
registration info	general information	registration form	Non-Fiction Writing	MFW Home Expert Witness Directory

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