Greetings;
It’s time to consider a writers’ workshop this summer to hone skills and learn new ones. The 49th Annual Cape Cod Writers Center Conference, “Craft and Composition With Creativity in the Digital Age.” will run from Sunday, August 14 to Friday, August 19 at the hilltop campus of the Craigville Conference Center across from Craigville Beach. I’ve attended for five years and feel somewhat qualified to report it’s an amazing sanctuary for writers, who are serious about perfecting their craft. Each year, I’m inspired by the acclaimed authors, poets, agents, editors, and publishers who gather from across our country to educate on latest publishing trends.
This year, the conference is offering 13 five-day classes, each lasting ninety minutes with a break. Features include Killer Techniques for Thriller, Publicize Your Own Book, Poetic Edge for Prose Writers, Spell-Binding Short Stories, Self Publishing, Writing For Children, Fearless Characterization, …Screenwriting, Writing Young Adult Fiction, Anatomy of Crime Writing, …Historical Fiction, Business Marketing, and Common Mistakes Writers Make. Four-day courses include: Strategies of Internet research, Road Map to Romance, and Creating a Compelling Memoir. A three-day course features Demystifying Technology. 4 two day courses include: Queries/Pitches. .Book Deal, Pitchapalooza, Poetry Workshop, and Editing and Self-Editing. There are also ninety minute, one-day workshops that include panels discussing Small Press, Thriller Writing, the Short Story, Historical Research, Keep Them in Suspense, and Secrets of a Literary Agent
There is a weeklong, Young Writers Program for students, ages 12-17 for prose and poetry. which is held at the campus of Barnstable High School.
Manuscript Evaluation/Mentoring sessions are available for adults. If interested, send the first ten pages of your manuscript by e-mail attachment to the CCWC office by July 15.
There is a special free event on Tuesday night, August 16 from 6:30-7 P.M. on “What Sells Books?” Speaker, Justine Willis, is a national sales manager for a large publishing company.
If interested in the conference, early registration closes on July 29.
e-mail address: www.capecodwriterscenter.org or www.writers@capecodwriterscenter.org
There is limited housing available on campus and in surrounding private homes. The beach is in walking distance. Meals are available for reservations daily or by the week at the campus dining area.
Over the years, I’ve met some wonderful and unique writers, and we’ve become friends, so if you are ensconced in a community of non-writers, this conference is for you. If you’re unable to afford the full week, consider taking day classes in the one, two, or three day classes. Where else can you intermingle with so many learned writers and business people, who want to assist in publishing your manuscript?
For years, I wrote alone. No one in my family wrote, nor did they understand my determination to forge ahead without a paycheck. There was no local critique group, leaving me feeling segregated in my pursuit of a published book. I knew there had to be other “aliens” out there somewhere, who loved to write every chance they could, but where to find them? Finally, a librarian friend headed me in the right direction, God bless her. I joined the critique group she suggested, and for the next twenty years was delighted with my world of writers. The Scribblers Club of Brockton was the longest running writers’ club in New England, beginning its ministry in 1931 of training writers to become authors. At times, there was a waiting list because we closed membership at twenty members. When the economy began to deteriorate, the number of writers dropped at one point to five, but we remained intact. As with many organization in the new millennium, the numbers decreased to the point where it was no longer feasible to continue. Heartbreaking. Within the year, however, each writer realized having a critique group to monitor literary progress was essential to remaining productive. During that interim, my husband and I relocated to Cape Cod. First on my list was to find another writing group in my new community. I visited the local librarian, and was forwarded to a newly formed critique group. I found a home among writers once more, and what a thrill it has been. There are eight of us in the Cape Cod Children’s Writers with a waiting list, and we’ve begun holding workshops for new children’s writers every few months. The results have been rewarding. Last year, we began this blog for aspiring writers in the hope of reaching out to those, who haven’t yet found their group. All good. Experiencing writing problems alone can be so frustrating, and joy experienced alone is no fun, either, so become part of a writing group, and do let me know how you are progressing..
I won’t be blogging next week because on Wednesday, Jack and I will be riding from Venice to Vienna on the Orient Express! We’ve been planning for two years, and are excited to be setting out on a new adventure. This morning, I tee off at eight in a member-guest tournament at Quashnet CC in Mashpee. Looks like rain, but we play anyway. Even a bad day on the golf course is a fun day. For those of you in the midst of child-raising, hang in there; your days of fun are waiting for you. Until we connect again, enjoy your summer and be well. Linda