Learn how to write best-selling, page turning fiction from New York Times best-selling author Linda Fairstein, Esq. This course covers material which is supplemental to that covered on Saturday and Sunday and is an ideal preconference for those attendees who are looking for additional practical writing advice from a successful attorney-author.

Linda Fairstein, Esq. is America’s foremost legal expert on crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence. She served in the office of the Manhattan District Attorney for 30 years, - 1972-2002 – where she was the Bureau Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit for 25 years, working on such high profile cases as the Preppy Murder and the Central Park Jogger. She was raised in Mount Vernon, New York and is a graduate of Vassar College and the University of Virginia School of Law. Fairstein’s first foray into fiction writing was 1996’s Final Jeopardy, which introduced the tough, savvy assistant D.A. Alexandra "Alex" Cooper – a character close to the author’s own identity – who was well received by fans and critics. The follow-up, 1997’s Likely to Die, was another hit ("a whopping whodunit" -- People), and Cold Hit (1999) and The Deadhouse (2001 – winner of the Nero Award for literary excellence in the crime genre) continued to chronicle Alex Cooper’s unstoppable crime-solving streak. 2003’s The Bone Vault finds Cooper hunting amid the mummies in New York City’s top museums, on the trail of a sinister serial killer with a sick sense of what makes a suitable exhibit. Fairstein is also the author of The Kills (2004) and Entombed (2005). She lives with her husband in Manhattan and on Martha’s Vineyard.

Schedule

8:30 - 9:30 Personal Success Story - Linda Fairstein, Esq.
Linda will explain the road she followed from being a New York prosecutor to a New York Times best-selling author of crime fiction. Questions and Answers

9:30 - 10:15 Developing Multi-Novel Characters
One of the keys to being a successful novelist is the ability to develop memorable, sympathetic, multi-novel characters like Linda’s, Assistant District Attorney Alex Cooper. In this segment, Linda will provide practical, time-tested advice on creating memorable characters with an emphasis on those special characters that will appear in multiple novels. Questions and Answers

10:30 - 11:00 Writing in the First Person
Unlike most popular fiction, Linda’s Alex Cooper crime fiction is written in the first person. In this segment, Linda will discuss why she chose this point of view, the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the first person, and her special techniques for successfully writing in the first person. Questions and Answers

11:00 - 12:00 Truth is Stranger than Fiction
Much of Linda’s work is based upon her own actual experiences as the nation’s foremost prosecutor of sex crimes. In this segment Linda will explain how and how not to adapt your real life legal experiences into plots, characters and ideas. She will explain what you can and can not do and how to best adapt truth into fiction. Questions and Answers

12:00 - 1:00 Lunch with Faculty (Provided)

1:00 - 1:45 The Birds and the Bees
Sexual tension, sexual motivation, sexual deviation, sexuality and sex scenes are important components of much of today’s popular fiction. Linda will show you how to get past the embarrassment and shyness and address sex effectively in your writing. Questions and Answers

1:45 - 2:30 Making Your Book a "Great Read"
A great book is a great read. In this segment Linda will provide her insider’s advice on how to make your novel a great read, by among other things: creating believable plots, keeping the reader in suspense, optimum pacing, and developing and using characters your readers care about. Questions and Answers

2:45 - 3:30 Order in the Court!
A key component of most legal fiction is the courtroom scene. In this segment, Linda will describe her secrets to writing memorable, dramatic, edge-of-your seat suspenseful courtroom scenes. Questions and Answers

3:30 - 4:15 Writing Best-Selling Crime Fiction
Linda’s genre is crime fiction. In this segment, Linda will explain the special techniques she uses to excel in this genre including a detailed explanation of how best to use "procedurals" (the actual techniques police and prosecutors use to solve crimes) in your writing. Questions and Answers