Raising your humor writing IQ -- Mark Shatz
Complete the following sentence: “The Rose Bowl is the only bowl…” Your answer reflects your humor writing IQ – the ability to find the funniest conclusion to a set-up or premise. Many factors, such as self-censorship and limited brainstorm techniques, impair humor writing. During this session, you will learn cognitive strategies and writing techniques to raise your humor IQ and maximize the funny in your writing. By the way, a humor savant, Erma Bombeck, completed the sentence with “I've ever seen that I didn't have to clean.”
This session is also offered Fri., April 4, 2008 -- 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Freelance writing for the greeting card industry -- Matt Schneider
There are more than 2,000 greeting card companies in this country, from basement publishers to major corporations. Many of these companies purchase humorous editorial from freelance writers. Matt will discuss the anatomy of a greeting card, how to get started, what the most productive captions focus on, tips of the trade and the million-dollar question, "Where do you get your ideas?"
This session is also offered Fri., April 4, 2008 -- 9 to 10:30 a.m.
How to survive and thrive throughout the creative process -- Joni Cole
Every writer has a story—how some teacher, workshop participant, or well-meaning reader gave them “toxic” feedback that undermined their confidence and their writing. As a result, too many writers avoid or under-utilize this powerful resource. This presentation restores feedback’s good name, showing writers how to use feedback to write more, write better, and, yes, even be happier throughout the creative process. Feedback providers will also gain insights on the difference between being heard and being obnoxious, and how to motivate writers of all levels (and temperaments) to do their best work.
This session is also offered Sat., April 5, 2008 -- 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
How to create an Amazon.com bestseller -- John Kremer
Book marketing expert, John Kremer, shares tips about creating a bestseller on Amazon.com and other online booksellers. He’ll share more than 20 ways to use Amazon.com to sell more books, and provide insight on what creates a New York Times bestseller.
This session is also offered Sat., April 5, 2008 -- 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
How to touch readers’ hearts with your words -- Mary McCarty & Laura Pulfer
Mary McCarty (metro columnist for the Dayton Daily News) and Laura Pulfer (author and former
columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer) have mastered the art of human-interest writing. Hear their tips on
interviewing and writing that will add life to your words. They’ll explain how they find great human-interest stories and the techniques they use to write them.
This session is also offered Fri., April 4, 2008 -- 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Book proposals and literary agents -- Tony Lupia
Tony will address what's needed for a solid book proposal and how to prepare it for submission. He'll also explain the process of getting a literary agent and the role an agent plays in publishing a book.
This session is also offered Fri., April 4, 2008 -- 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
