Future Meetings
Please note: this page contains future meeting topic information only. If you are looking for meeting directions, reservations, times, etc., please go to our main meetings page.
- February 25 – Mary Buckham – Synopsis-Writing Intensive Program – all day workshop
- March 24 – Laura Bradford – Bradford Literary Agency – An Agent Talks Shop (pitch appointments will be available)
- April 28 – Barbara Plum – Scintillating Conversation: The Art of Writing Dialogue
- May 19 – Charles Griemsman, Assistant Editor of Silhouette Desire – Editor talk and pitch appointments (across all Harlequin lines)
- June 23 – Rhonda Penders, Editor-in-Chief of Wild Rose Press – Editor talk and pitch appointments (across all lines)
- July 25-28 – RWA Nationals in Anaheim (no local SV-RWA meeting this month)
- August 25 – RWA Nationals Re-cap + Short Program Speaker TBD
- September 22 – Lisa Desrochers – Topic TBA
- October – exact date TBA – Special All-day Craft Workshop with Angela James of Carina Press: “Before You Hit Send” (self-editing your manuscript before submitting to houses/agents)
- November 17 – Brenda Novak and Allison Brennan – Making the List: Two Successful Authors Talk About Professionalism
- December – date TBD – Holiday Party + watch for something special!
**Emergencies happen – please note that dates and speakers are subject to change.
SV-RWA always appreciates member feedback – the 2012 speaker schedule was recruited based on your feedback on last Winter’s Programming Survey!
February 25 – Mary Buckham – Synopsis-Writing Intensive Program – all day workshop
MASTERING THE SHORT SYNOPSIS: For Those Who Hate to Write Them
This is a workshop for those who hate to write the 1-2 page synopsis, but want to understand what makes them a selling tool in a writer’s arsenal. Writing a short synopsis doesn’t need to be painful. Learn what editors and agents look for in a well-crafted synopsis and what makes them groan. Templates will help you examine your plots and see how they are translated into selling synopses. This workshop with examples and templates that you can use time and again should have you looking, thinking and writing the short synopsis in a whole new way.
Lectures with 9 templates for you to analyze and extract the key components from your manuscript that an editor/agent needs to see to determine if the story is worth their time and attention.
Great for writers who:
*Have never written a synopsis and don’t know where to turn
*Want to plot-proof their novel
*Lets you ask is everything in your story that needs to be in your story
*Want a faster way to master the short synopsis time and time again
Participants should watch the movie PRETTY WOMAN before the workshop as we’ll use that story line as an example on how to fill in the templates. The templates work for any genre of fiction but by having the group watching the same movie the explanations will be easier to grasp.
Workshop Fee includes:
• 8-Hour Workshop
• Beverage Service
• Lunch
• Afternoon coffee and snacks
Bio:
Mary Buckham is an award-winning romantic-suspense author who, before becoming published in book-length fiction was a freelance article writer, selling hundreds of articles to local, regional, and national publications. In addition, she’s the co-author of the very successful BREAK INTO FICTION: 11 Steps to Building a Story That Sells from Adams Media [June 2009]. Mary is a sought-after speaker and writing craft teacher for both online and in live presentations throughout the United States and Canada and is the co-founder of www.WriterUniv.com, an online venue where writers of all genres learn the craft of writing. Be sure to visit www.BreakIntoFiction.com
Workshop Location: The Sheraton on Barber Lane in Milpitas (directions)
Time: Check-in begins at 8:30am. Class runs 9am-4pm, with a one hour lunch and a fifteen minute break.
Sign up:
Cost for SVRWA, SFARWA, BDRWA, and MBRWA members: $65
Cost for non-members: $75
No walk-ins will be allowed. Registration for this workshop will close February 11th, 2012.
Pay by Check:
SVRWA
Kelly Dugan
970 Corte Madera Ave. #811
Sunnyvale, CA 94085
PayPal:
March 24 – Laura Bradford – Bradford Literary Agency – An Agent Talks Shop (pitch appointments will be available)
What’s going on in publishing right now? How can you, the author, best position yourself to succeed in this changing market? Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency will provide an industry update and take attendee pitches (first-come, first-served, SV-RWA chapter members to receive priority).
Bio:
Laura Bradford established the Bradford Literary Agency in 2001. She considers herself an editorial-focused agent and takes a hands-on approach to developing proposals and manuscripts with her authors for the most appropriate markets. During her own misadventures as a writer, Laura came to understand the importance of having a friendly but critical eye on your side, a career strategist in your corner and a guide who can lead you through the travails of publication.
Her recent sales include books placed with Berkley, Grand Central, Harlequin, Kensington, Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Sourcebooks, Hyperion, Flux, Macmillan, Adams Media, Egmont USA, John Wiley and Sons and Mira Books. She continues to actively build her client list and is currently seeking work in the following genres: Romance (historical, romantic suspense, paranormal, category, contemporary, erotic), urban fantasy, women’s fiction, mystery, thrillers and young adult as well as some select non-fiction.
