Master Classes
Overview 2008
Master Classes are three-day workshops within the conference intended to offer experienced writers an opportunity to work directly with an accomplished author. Master Classes cost an additional fee of $150. (You must be a registered student of the June conference to apply for a Master Class.) The classes, listed below, will be limited to no more than 20 people. Conference attendees interested should contact Executive Director Marcia Meier via email or (805) 964-0367. Writers will be required to submit a five-page sample of writing, a brief bio including any publishing credits, plus payment of $150.
“What a Character! Creating Believable People in your Fiction”
with Catherine Ryan Hyde
1–3:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday June 22-24, 2008
What a Character! – Creating Believable People in Your Fiction: an in-depth (and fun) exploration of how to make each of your fictional characters vivid and distinct. Students will learn more about the use of “character markers,” the telling bits of description and action that give strong indications of character. Hopefully we will demystify the difference between showing and telling, at least where characterization is concerned. This will be done with at least two in-class writing exercises, the reading of and feedback on those exercises, and the optional reading of a very short piece of dialogue, action or character description from students’ works in progress.
Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of the novel Funerals for Horses (Russian Hill Press 1997), a collection of short fiction, Earthquake Weather (Russian Hill Press 1998), the novels Pay it Forward (Simon & Schuster Feb. 2000), Electric God (Simon & Schuster Nov. 2000), and Walter’s Purple Heart (Simon & Schuster 2002). “Pay It Forward,” the movie (Warner Brothers), was released in 2000, starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt. The book has been translated into 20 languages for publication in more than 30 countries, and chosen among the Best Books for Young Adults 2001 by the American Library Association. The paperback was released in October 2000 by Pocket Books and quickly became a national bestseller. Her newer novels are Becoming Chloe (Knopf Spring 2006), Love in the Present Tense (Doubleday/Flying Dolphin Press Summer 2006), and The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance (Knopf Spring 2007). Forthcoming are The Day I Killed James (Knopf Summer 2008) and Chasing Windmills (Doubleday/Flying Dolphin Press TBA). Love in the Present Tense enjoyed bestseller status in the UK, where it broke the top ten, spent five weeks on the list, was reviewed on a major TV book club, and was shortlisted for a Best Read of the Year award at the British Book Awards. [pdf]
The Art of Revelation: Writing the Memoir and Personal Essay
with Barbara Samuel
9–11:30 a.m. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday June 22-24, 2008
The art of memoir is equal parts revelation and restraint. How do you create a sympathetic narrator out of your own experiences? How can you capitalize on the strengths of your voice? The techniques of a novelist can help you create a compelling narrative out of your own material.
Author of many novels, Barbara Samuel came to fiction by way of newspapers, and has been writing personal essays and columns for more than twenty years. She is currently writing a memoir about walking her way through grief. Her next novel for Bantam Trade is The Lost Recipe For Happiness, out Spring 2009.
“Writing Our Way Home: A Memoir Writing Workshop”
We regret that Ms. Chavez is unable to attend the conference this year.