at The Renaissance Waterford
in Oklahoma City, OK
WRITERCON
2024
Writers Conference
Sole Stories: Walking in the World of Words
August 30th – September 2nd, 2024
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sole stories: Walking in the world of words
Throughout the conference you will have the opportunity to learn from writers from all walks of life. You’ll gain a greater understanding for how you present characters in your writing, both fiction and nonfiction alike. This weekend will help you along on the journey you take while crafting engaging and authentic stories.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Speakers
SPECIAL GUESTS
#1 New York Times Best-Seller |
Optioned by Disney |
Bestselling YA Author of the Year
Best-Selling Romantasy Author
Author of the Christian historical romance novel “Of Love and Treason”
MASTERCLASSES
Held on the Monday following the conference, these 3-hour Masterclasses can be added on to your registration for $99 each.
Don't Mistake Plot for "Stuff Happens"
with Aprilynne Pike
Especially geared toward commercial fiction, this workshop will dig into what makes a book feel fast-paced and why it’s only tenuously connected to the actual action in the scene. Find out why starting your book off with an explosion is often a mistake, how kicking the cat is as effective as saving the cat, and how you can plot out your book without losing the fun of exploration. We’ll be analyzing some text in this class, but we’ll mostly be discussing full story lines, and pre-writing. This is the story preparation you need to feel confident you’re on the right track before you dive into the actual world (wilderness!) of words.
Begin with the Beginning: Analyzing the First Pages of the First Three Chapters
with Aprilynne Pike
An agent or editor will give you three pages. But a reader will give you three chapters … IF they’re good chapters, and if they give the reader a promise to grasp onto. Writers sometimes get tunnel-vision on those first three pages, and sometimes those first three sentences, so in this workshop we’ll zoom out and analyze the first pages of the first three chapters and look at how some of today’s best storytellers build the foundations of their stories. Be prepared to read and workshop and please bring your opinions!
Crafting Your Author Brand: A Story Beyond Books
with Zealot Branding
Join the team from Zealot Branding and you will learn the importance of a compelling author brand and how it can significantly impact your career. This class will guide authors through the process of identifying their unique brand elements, themes, and values, and teach them how to communicate these effectively to their audience. Through an interactive workshop and real-world examples, participants will develop a personalized branding strategy that resonates with their target readers and sets them apart in the literary world.
Stepping into the Spotlight: Public Speaking for Writers
with Betsey Kulakowski & JB Caine
The very title of this session might fill you with an abject, mind-numbing fear. After all, public speaking is the #1 fear of American adults, even more frightening than death! But if you want to make a name for yourself and get your books into the hands of readers, the ability to speak in a variety of contexts is a MUST. Whether it’s working a booth at a book fair or speaking to 1000 people at a writing conference, with more than 50 years of combined public speaking experience, Betsey and JB will give you all the need-to-know to deal with everything from research to stagefright. You may not love public speaking (though they do!), but you’ll be able to do it effectively using these strategies.
Starting From Scratch: Building Your Author Podcast From the Ground Up
with Emily Brooks and Jon Meyers of Write Better Together
This three-hour interactive workshop will talk you through the considerations and concerns you’ll need to address from developing your initial idea to getting your first episode on the air. We will use our real-life experiences to teach you some practical applications and strategies on the best way to communicate YOUR message. We will cater this session in real time to cover the specific concerns of the attendees in the room. Bring your questions. We will help you focus on finding your niche. There are several hundred writing and author podcasts, but there is only ONE that YOU can do.
You will leave our session with:
- An ideal premise for a podcast that only YOU can host
- A detailed plan covering the decisions you will have to make, including but not limited to: hosting option, platform listings, equipment to fit your budget, structuring your episodes advice on attracting guests, and why you want them, a strategy on attracting the audience you want, the pros/cons of consider a narrative fiction podcast as a companion to your author podcast
Emily Brooks and Jon Meyers have spent the last eight months building their Write Better Together podcast from the same starting point where you are at today. They will teach you the secrets they’ve discovered on their way to get to where they are now, hosting a podcast attracting listeners and guests from all over the globe
Scriptwriting
with Bob Saenz
Writing for the screen is unlike any other writing discipline. It’s active, not passive writing. It’s happening as the reader reads it. You can’t show thoughts or intentions, only what the audience can see and hear. You have a prescribed maximum page count. An industry standard prescribed format that can’t be deviated from. Dialogue that must be realistic, using subtext. There is no blatant exposition in screenwriting. It’s so unlike narrative writing that it requires a change in thought process to do it correctly. Unlike novels where detail can be king, screenwriting is about telling your story in the most economical way you can. Thought needs to taken about the budget of the film you’re trying to tell, depending on who you see producing it and where you intend it to show. All these things add up to new form of writing to most of you. a writing discipline that is difficult to master. But it can be done. Basic format and rules, treatments, outlines, story concepts, screenplay story structure, set ups and pay offs, realistic dialogue, subtext, settings, cinematic transitions…. All these things and more will be covered when we talk about screenwriting.
FAQs
Basic – $399
- Admission to all sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Pitching and consultations to authors, agents, editors, and publishers
- Registration Gift Package
- Author Photo by Professional Photographer
Premium – $499
- Admission to all sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Pitching and consultations to authors, agents, editors, and publishers.
- Registration Gift Package
- Author Photo by Professional Photographer
- Unlimited Contest Entries
- Private Consultation with Author of Your Choice
Superstar – $599
- Admission to all sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
- Pitching and consultations to authors, agents, editors, and publishers.
- Registration Gift Package
- Author Photo by Professional Photographer
- Unlimited Contest Entries
- Private Consultation with Author of Your Choice
- Manuscript Review by Author of Your Choice
- A one-year subscription to WriterCon Magazine
Thanks to our generous sponsors, lunch will be provided Friday and Saturday. Sunday lunch will be on our own, however, we will have a couple of food trucks onsite to order from in addition to the on-site restaurant. All other meals are on your own – so make some new friends and dine together!
No, it is not. You will need to make reservations on your own. Call the Renaissance Waterford directly and give them the code BWE to get your discount or BOOK ONLINE HERE.
Renaissance Waterford Hotel
6300 Waterford Blvd
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
(405) 848-4782
Scholarships Available
The Bernhardt Center for Arts & Literature is offering a full Superstar package registration to an aspiring writer age 21 or younger. To apply, send a one-page (double-spaced, Times New Roman 12, one-inch margins on all sides) essay explaining why you want the scholarship to: william@writercon.com. Make the Subject line: Bernhardt Scholarship.
Deadline is July 31, 2024
Mary Coley is offering a full Superstar package registration to an aspiring writer age 50 or older. To apply, send a one-page (double-spaced, Times New Roman 12, one-inch margins on all sides) essay explaining why you want the scholarship to: william@writercon.com. Make the Subject line: Coley Scholarship.
Deadline is July 31, 2024
We’d love to have you be a sponsor or vendor. Check out our sponsorship opportunities HERE.
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