The night is young and yours to enjoy! Come join us at the Willamette Writers Mansion for an evening of connecting and networking with your fellow writers. Share a toast at the bar, or toast some marshmallows around the fireside. Our doors are open, and we are waiting for you.
Category: WilWrite26 Schedule
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July 30th 9AM – 5PM Zoom: Pitches and Critiques
Registered for a pitch or critique? Join us online to meet with your industry professional. Login before your meeting starts and we will get you settled in to a private Zoom room for your conversation with your professional. Zoom links are sent to participants via email.
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July 29th 9AM – 5PM Zoom: Pitches
Registered for a pitch? Join us online to meet with your industry professional. Login before your meeting starts and we will get you settled in to a private Zoom room for your conversation with your professional. Zoom links are sent to participants via email.
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July 19th 7 – 9PM Zoom: Pitch for the Prize
Come pitch your work to a panel of industry professionals. You can step up to the Zoom spotlight for three minutes to share your work and receive feedback from the panel, or you can listen in and learn. At the end of the evening, the professionals will pick the grand prize winner. Come to pitch and come to learn! It’s going to be a great evening online.
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July 19th 1 – 3PM Zoom: Online Keynote Workshop: The Principles of Structure with Mary Robinette Kowal
Log in for our online keynote workshop with award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal as she leads us through the Principles of Structure. Whether you’re outlining a new novel or revising a finished draft, this session will help you better understand what makes stories resonate. Plot structures like “save the cat” or the “7-point plot structure” are like recipes. They tell you how to make a specific kind of story. But what are the underlying principles that make structures work? Instead of being locked into someone else’s idea of what makes a good story, understanding the reason that things work can free you up to tell your story the way you want to. Bring your work in progress, take plenty of notes, and kick off the conference with a deeper understanding of the principles behind great storytelling.
About Mary Robinette Kowal
Photo credit: Dani Lore Mary Robinette Kowal is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Lady Astronaut series and the Glamourist Histories. Her novel The Calculating Stars is one of the few works to win the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards in a single year. She is also a recipient of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and multiple Hugo awards. A professional puppeteer for over twenty years, Kowal’s background in physical performance informs much of her approach to character in prose. She shares this craft expertise as a core cast member of the long-running, Hugo-winning podcast Writing Excuses. Kowal served as the President of SFWA and is an accomplished audiobook narrator. At home, she explores communication through a different lens with her cat, Elsie, who uses Augmentative Interspecies Communication buttons to “talk.” She also has an asteroid named after her.
Find out more at https://maryrobinettekowal.com/
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July 18th 10AM – 1PM & July 19th 3PM – 5PM Zoom: Master Class: Craft Your Query
This five-hour master class will teach you how to craft a strong, effective query letter that captures attention and positions your book for success. Literary agent Sarah N. Fisk will guide you through how to research, evaluate, and choose the right agents for your work based on your genre and goals. You will learn the essential elements of a compelling query letter, along with advanced strategies to help your submission stand out in a competitive market. The session will also show you how to write a clear, engaging synopsis that highlights your story’s key elements without losing its impact. You will also learn how to select compelling comp titles that demonstrate your book’s place in the market and strengthen your pitch, and you are encouraged to bring your own work in progress so you can apply these techniques in real time.
Attendance is limited and additional registration is required to attend this Master Class.
Faculty
- Sarah N. Fisk
Sarah N. Fisk is a literary agent at the Tobias Literary Agency, representing MG, YA, and most genre fiction and select nonfiction. Sarah is a former mechanical engineer who made the switch to publishing in 2011. They have worked in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant, author’s assistant, publicist, and art director. Sarah is… Read more: Sarah N. Fisk