Contents CONFERENCESPEAKERCLOS E - UPS

Pacific Northwest Writers Association
Northwest
April 2006
April 2006
CONFERENCE SPEAKER CLOSE-UPS
Mercedes Lackey
Contents
Conference Speaker
Close-ups ........................... 1
Mercedes Lackey........... 1
James Rollins ................... 1
Conference Preview ......... 2
Agents ............................. 2
Editors ............................. 4
Conference Bonus ............. 4
Agent/Editor Request ....... 5
Member News ................... 5
Upcoming Events ............... 6
Message from the
President ............................. 6
Writer’s Experience ............ 6
It’s A Journey!.................. 6
Conference Registration
Form .................................... 7
Genre Close-up ................. 8
Playwriting vs. Fiction
Writing .............................. 8
Member News ................... 8
Our Honored Guest Speaker at the 2006 PNWA Summer Conference
Mercedes Lackey, author of
over 150 published stories,
entered this world on June
24, 1950, in Chicago, had a
normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the
late 70’s she worked as an
artist’s model and then went
into the computer programming field, ending up
with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In
addition to her fantasy writing, she has written
lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & Music, a small recording company
specializing in science fiction folk music.
“I’m a storyteller; that’s what I see as `my
job.’ My stories come out of my characters; how
those characters would react to the given situation. Maybe that’s why I get letters from readers
as young as thirteen and as old as sixty-odd.
I began writing out of boredom; I continue
out of addiction. I can’t `not’ write, and as a
result I have no social life! I began writing fantasy because I love it, but I try to construct my
fantasy worlds with all
the care of a `high-tech’
science fiction writer. I
apply the principle of
TANSTAAFL (`There
ain’t no such thing as
free lunch’, credited to
Robert Heinlein). I try
to make all of my characters, even the `evil magicians,’ something more
than flat stereotypes. Even evil magicians get up
in the night and look for cookies, sometimes.
I suppose that in everything I write I try to
expound the creed I gave my character Diana
Tregarde in Burning Water:
“There’s no such thing as `one, true way’;
the only answers worth having are the ones you
find for yourself; leave the world better than you
found it. Love, freedom, and the chance to do some
good -- they’re the things worth living and dying
for, and if you aren’t willing to die for the things
worth living for, you might as well turn in your
membership in the human race.”
James Rollins
Guest Speaker at the 2006 PNWA Summer Conference
James Rollins is a thrilling adventure writer.
Publisher’s Weekly recently quoted, “While Clive
Cussler maintains the gold standard in action...
Rollins has a firm grasp on the silver.”
Our board member, Jeff Ayers, asked James
the following questions;
How do you go about the writing process?
“I like this question. I think every writer
needs to find their own rituals and habits.
My first adage is that I write every day. As
to where I write, I mostly use my office at home,
but I write exclusively on a laptop Macintosh
so I can grab the computer and move. I’ll often
shift to another place in the house if I’m feeling
stuck. Or take my laptop and run off somewhere.
I’ve often solved problems in my story by simply
changing the scenery around me.”
What advice do you have for beginning writers?
“That’s easy: READ! The best teacher of
the craft is simply a good
book.
As you write and
struggle with difficulties
in your own writing, each
book you read can teach
you aspects of the craft.
Why re-invent the wheel,
when you can learn by
example? Also, as someone who was rejected by
50 different agencies before hooking one, I must
stress the word PERSISTENCE. Believe in your
work, keep sending it out, but more importantly,
don’t stop writing. Move onto a new project.
Don’t keep revising the same book unless an
agent or editor asks you to. Keep doing this and
eventually you will get published!”
James Rollins latest book, Map of Bones,
concerns the theft of the Bones of the Magi.
Page 1
April 2006
NEWSLETTER
CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Elizabeth Atteberry
Agents
Editor
Loren Fairman
Assistant Editor
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Pam Binder
President, Conference Co-Chair
Andrew Stoute
Vice President, TWIO/TBIO
Chair, Volunteer Coordinator
Sandy McCormack
Secretary, Treasurer, Literary
Contest Co-Chair
Melissa Morse
Member-at-Large
Jeff Ayers
Conference Co-Chair
Sam Boush
Marketing, TWIO
Melanie Grimes
Nominations and New
Membership
Terry Persun
Conference Advisor, Marketing
Danielle Rollins
E-Notes Editor, Literary Contest
Co-Chair
Kate van Gelder
Conference Co-chair, Marketing
OFF-BOARD
COMMITTEES
& ADVISORS
Elizabeth Atteberry
Northwest Ink
Gloria Campbell
The Publishing Institute, Bellevue
Community College
Bob Dugoni
Agent & Editor Chair
Jennifer McCord
Jennifer McCord & Assoc.
Past PNWA President
Deborah Schneider
Public Programming Coordinator,
King County Library System
Page 2
LAUREN ABRAMO joined DGLM
over a year ago after earning an M.A.
in Irish Studies at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She is an avid
reader of fiction, especially anything
literary, smart and fun, as well as nonfiction designed to make you think or
laugh—particularly history, politics,
Lauren Abramo current affairs and philosophy. She also
enjoys books on science.
STEPHEN BARBARA is an agent and
contracts director at the Donald Maass
Literary Agency. He was a junior agent
at the Fifi Oscard Agency, an editorial
assistant at Regan Books, and an intern at the Kaplan Agency. He enjoys
literary fiction, YA and middle grade
novels, narrative non-fiction, historical
Stephen Barbara and topical non-fiction, and a variety of
commercial fiction genres.
LORETTA A. BARRETT, president of
Loretta Barrett Books, Inc., is a member
of AAR, and has representation in every
major foreign market, East and West.
Nonfiction interests: psychology, science/technology, spirituality, current
events, biography and memoir. She represents New York Times bestsellers SympLorretta Barrett toms of Withdrawal, by Christopher Kennedy Lawford; and Mother Angelica, by Raymond Arroyo, and
national bestseller The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil.
Fiction interests: mainstream and contemporary; women’s
fiction and thrillers. She represents New York Times bestseller Cold Truth, by Mariah Stewart, and national bestseller
The Lake of Dead Languages, by Carol Goodman. For clients
and submissions guidelines, visit lorettabarrettbooks.com.
JENNIFER CAYEA is literary agent
and foreign right’s director of Nicholas
Ellison, Inc. Her recent projects include
Here, There and Everywhere (Gotham
Books); Real Life, Real Love (Berkley)
by world renown spiritual leader Father
Albert/Cutie; and The Girl from Charnelle
(William Morrow) by K. L. Cook. She is
Jennifer Cayea
looking for literary and upmarket fiction;
literary thriller; Latino/Hispanic fiction and non-fiction;
young adult, memoir, narrative non-fiction; self-help and
is desperate to represent a baseball book
FARLEY CHASE began at Minnesota’s
Graywolf Press, then the New Yorker
magazine, The New Press, Talk magazine
and was associate editor at Miramax
Books. He was an agent with Goldfarb &
Associates and now The Waxman Literary Agency. He is looking for original and
enduring non-fiction projects in journalFarley Chase
ism, history, memoir, biography, and
prescriptive non-fiction with an emphasis in narratives and
subjects that range from current and military affairs, popular
science, business, humor, pop culture, and sports.
ARIELLE ECKSTUT is a literary agent
who runs the West Coast office of the
Levine Greenberg Literary Agency.
She is also the co-author of three books
including, Putting Your Passion into Print
(Workman, 2005) and Pride & Promiscuity: The Lost Sex Scenes of Jane Austen
(Simon & Schuster, 2001).
Arielle Eckstut
Arielle’s clients include New York
Times bestselling author, Larry Dossey; Bellwether Awardwinner, Gayle Brandeis; James Beard Award-winners, Laura
Schenone and Georgeanne Brennan; While You Were Out
star, Mark Montano; and numerous others.
Before she became an agent, Arielle baked for Madonna,
performed improvisational comedy at the Edinburgh Theater Festival Fringe, and cut karyotypes.
CATHERINE FOWLER has more
than 20 years of experience in book and
Internet publishing having held senior
positions for such prestigious companies
as Random House, Simon & Schuster,
Doubleday, Excite and WebMD. With
Redwood Agency, Fowler is focusing on
the core of her expertise and her pasCathrine Fowler sion: the development of high-quality
projects, working with talented writers and editors, and
negotiating contracts. Areas of interest include health,
food and cooking, popular culture, women’s interests, narrative nonfiction, nature, parenting, aging, general reference, relationships, popular psychology, non-fiction “chick
lit”, business, humor, lifestyle, cultural technology, quirky
projects, memoir and the occasional novel.
MICHELLE GRAJKOWSKI began 3
Seas Literary Agency in 2000. Since then,
she’s sold over 200 titles to major publishing houses including Harlequin, NAL,
Berkley, Dorchester, Kensington, Avon,
Pocket, Random House, Knopf, Andrews
McMeel, Warner and HarperCollins.
She is looking for fantastic authors
with a voice of their own. She focuses
Michelle
Grajkowski
on romance (including category), ChickLit, young adult, children’s stories, female-focused fantasy,
paranormal, women’s fiction, historicals, regencies, westerns, romantic suspense, mysteries and thrillers. She also
represents select non-fiction and other fiction projects.
KELLY HARMS is seeking all types of commercial fiction
especially for the women’s market. She is new to the agent
game, came from editorial but so far have authors writing mystery, suspense, romanitic suspense and women’s
fiction, and one very sexy gang of vampires. she’d really
like to have more thrillers and character driven mysteries
and really smart, but not quite “literary” women’s fiction
is her favorite.
April 2006
CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Agents (continued)
JEFF KLEINMAN is a literary
agent and intellectual property attorney with Folio Literary
Management, LLC, which works
with all of the major U.S. publishers (and, through subagents, with
most international publishers).
Jeff ’s authors include Robert
Jeff Kleinman
Hicks, Ron McLarty, Yolanda
King, Philip Gerard, and Barbara Holland.
Nonfiction: narrative nonfiction with a historical bent, but also memoir, health, parenting, aging,
nature, pets, how-to, nature, science, politics, military,
espionage, equestrian, biography.
Fiction: very well-written, character-driven
novels; some suspense, thrillers; otherwise mainstream commercial and literary fiction.
No: children’s, romance, mysteries, westerns, poetry, or screenplays, novels about serial killers, suicide,
or children in peril (kidnapped, killed, raped, etc.).
MAURA KYE-CASELLA works at The Denise
Marcil Literary Agency, Inc., which represents a
wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. Titles range
from award-winning crime novels to best-selling
women’s fiction to parenting and business titles.
Maura is looking for commercial and literary fiction
(including chick-lit, thrillers, paranormals, women’s
fiction and multicultural novels) and is seeking
memoirs, pop culture, adventure, cookbooks and
food related writings, lifestyle, humor, parenting and
self-help titles.
Maura’s recent books include Lost In The
Amazon (W Publishing) by Stephen & Marlo Carter
Kirkpatrick, Darn Good Advice Babies/Parenting
(Barrons) by Jan Faull and Once Upon A Wedding
Night (Avon/HarperCollins) by Sophie Jordan.
BYRD LEAVELL worked at
Carlisle & Company and served as
an agent at InkWell Management
and Venture Literary. His clients
include The Modern Drunkard,
Tucker Max, and The Phat Phree.
He specializes in books that attempt to push the publishing enByrd Leavell
velope to reach new audiences.
Byrd lives for working with authors on books
that attempt to reach undiscovered audiences—
whether that book is about cleaning up dead bodies,
drinking seven nights a week, or church camp. It’s
all about taking a great idea and then working together to turn it into something that people want to
read—twice. He loves writing that makes an impact
and the work he represent covers a broad spectrum,
from nimble, intelligent literary fiction like Euny
Hong’s My Blue Blood, to Tucker Max’s blistering
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and Erik Barmack
and Max Handelman’s genre-defining Why Fantasy
Football Matters.
JANDY NELSON is a Senior
Literary Agent with Manus &
Associates Literary Agency, Inc.
Jandy has a varied list of nonfiction including nonfiction, innovative self-help, memoirs, health
and a fiction list which includes
literary fiction, multicultural
Jandy Nelson
fiction and women’s fiction. She
sells a significant portion of her clients’ work into
the television and feature film markets.
SUSAN ANN PROTTER has
worked in publishing for three
decades. She worked at Harper
& Row (now HarperCollins) as
associate director of subsidiary
rights and as a consultant to Addison-Wesley before becoming an
agent. She has handled a variety
Susan Protter
of books including the best sellers Getting Organzied and The Organized Executive
by Stephanie Winston, The House Of God By Samuel
Shem and The Plantation by George McNeill as well
as the works of mystery writer Lydia Adamson: the
Alice Nestleton series beginning with A Cat In The
Manger, the Dr. Nightingale series and the new Lucy
Wayles series. She is the agent for Fury On Earth: The
Biography of Wilhelm Reich, Waldheim: The Missing
Years by Robert Edwin Herzstein and Inside The
Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia
by Thomas W. Lippman. She represents a number
of prominent award winning science fiction writers
and editors such as Ian R. MacLeod, John G. Cramer,
Patrick O’Leary, Rudy Rucker, Kathryn Cramer and
David G. Hartwell.
RITA ROSENKRANZ founded
Rita Rosenkranz Literary Agency in 1990. Her adult non-fiction
list stretches from the decorative—Flowers, White House Style:
More Than 125 Arrangements by the
Former White House Chief Floral
Decorator by Dottie Temple and
Rita Rosenkranz Stan Finegold to the dark—Saving Beauty From The Beast: How to
Protect Your Daughter from an Unhealthy Relationship
by Vicki Crompton and Ellen Zelda Kessner (Books
for a Better Life Award, 2003). Other titles include
Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground
Railroad by Betty DeRamus (essence.com bestseller);
Olive Trees And Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian
Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by
Gil Marks (2005 James Beard Award winner). She
represents health, history, parenting, music, howto, popular science, business, biography, popular
reference, cooking, spirituality, and general interest
titles. Rita works with major publishing houses,
as well as regional publishers that handle niche
markets. She looks for projects that present familiar
subjects freshly or less-known subjects presented
commercially.
Meg Ruley
MEG RULEY joined the Jane
Rotrosen Agency in 1981. The
agency represents authors of
commercial fiction, many of
whom hail from the Pacific Northwest. She loves carrying heavy
manuscripts in and out of Manhattan and hopes you will send
her yours.
ANN TOBIAS is both a children’s
book editor and literary agent.
She heads A Literary Agency
for Children’s Books, which was
established in 1988 in Washington, D.C., and is now located in
New York City. As an agent, she
represents authors and artists of
Ann Tobias
books for children of all ages-from infancy through adolescence—picture books,
mid level novels, young adult fiction, and selected
nonfiction and poetry.
Ann is also the Executive Editor of Handprint
Books, a start-up children’s book publishing company in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn,
New York. Handprint Books specializes in picture
books but has begun adding novels for the mid-level
reader to its list as well.
JOE VELTRE of Artists Literary Group, LLC in New York,
has a background in literary
representation, including book
and film properties, as well as
in editorial and foreign rights.
ALG represents clients and
projects in a variety of areas including commercial and literary
Joe Veltre
fiction, genre fiction, mysteries
and romance titles, general and narrative non-fiction, including biographies, academic and popular
history, business, health and how-to-titles.
ALICE VOLPE has worked in
book publishing for the last 30
years. She has worked at Macmillan, Harcourt Brace, and
Time-Life, as well as in Tokyo,
Japan for Time Life Books, Kodansha International, Harper,
Britannica and Grolier. She
has held the positions of book
Alice Volpe
publicist, staff writer, editor and
publisher, and opened Northwest Literary Agency
([email protected]) in the 1980’s to help bridge
the chasm between lone author and remote, corporate publisher. Her clients include J.A. Jance, Carola
Dunn, Judith Smith-Levin, J. Carson Black, Lee
Lofland, Jeffrey Layton and many others.
Page 3
April 2006
CONFERENCE
BONUS
The first 150 people who
register for the conference will
be guaranteed one additional
agent appointment.
This year we have invited
additional agents and editors
to our conference. Our goal
is to give you more chances to
make your dreams of becoming
a published author come true.
In years past you have had the
opportunity to sign up for one
agent appointment and one
editor appointment. This year
we are giving you a bonus opportunity. For those who sign
up early, you will be guaranteed
two agent appointments in addition to the one editor appointment. Your chances of getting
published have just increased.
Don’t miss this Early Bird Bonus Opportunity.
The earlier you sign up—the
better your chances of getting
your first choice.
AWARDS NOMINATIONS
Each year we give out the
following awards during our
Awards Ceremony at our summer conference. If you know
someone who you would like
to honor, please email us at
[email protected] and mark it
“2006 Awards Nomination”.
PNWA Open Book Award
This award is for encouraging the development of writers
in the Pacific Northwest and
for their generous support of
the PNWA Conference. (In the
past this award has been given
to book stores and individuals in
the publishing community).
PNWA Achievement Award
This award is for distinguished
professional achievement and for
enhancing the stature of NW
literature. (In the past this award
has been given to published authors who exemplify hard word
and dedication to their craft).
PNWA Zola Helen Ross
Founders Award
This award is given in recognition of extraordinary service
as a volunteer for PNWA.
Page 4
CONFERENCE PREVIEW
Editors
COLIN FOX has worked at Warner
Books for nearly six years, editing
both fiction and nonfiction. His list
of novelists includes such folks as
the Pacific Northwest’s very own
Robert Dugoni, along with David
Baldacci, Brian Haig and Donald
E. Westlake. On the nonfiction
side, Colin has edited Billy Crystal,
Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson, Henry
Louis Gates, the family of Terri
Colin Fox
Schiavo, comedian David Cross
and country star Gretchen Wilson. His primary areas
of interest include commercial fiction, politics, current
events, gambling, narrative nonfiction, pop culture, sports,
business and humor.
LIZ GORINSKY, editor Tor Books.
Tor Books, an imprint of Tom
Doherty Associates, LLC, is a New
York-based publisher of hardcover
and softcover books, founded in
1980 and committed (although not
limited) to SF and fantasy literature.
Between our extensive hardcover
and trade-softcover line, our Orb
backlist program, and our strongLiz Gorinsky
hold in mass-market paperback,
we annually publish what is arguable the largest and most
diverse line of SF and fantasy ever produced by a single
English-language publisher. Books from Tor have won every major award in the SF and fantasy fields, and for the last
fifteen years in a row we have been named Best Publisher in
the Locus Poll, the largest consumer poll in SF.
RAELENE GORLINSKY, Managing Editor, Ellora’s Cave
Publishing Inc. If you write erotic romance, Ellora’s Cave is
the place to be. Currently the only e-publisher recognized
by the Romance Writers of America, our site receives over
50,000 hits daily and average sales of over 30,000 books per
month. Our readership continues to grow by the thousand,
and our reputation within the e-publishing community is
flawless. Ellor’s Cave is always open to new submissions
of erotic romances.
David Moldawer
DAVID MOLDAWER is an editorial assistant at Riverhead Books,
an imprint of Penguin Group
(USA). David is looking to acquire
nonfiction books on pop culture,
science, technology, the internet,
and psychology. Secondarily, he
is seeking smart, funny fiction
targeted at a younger male demographic. Prior to Riverhead, David
worked at W. W. Norton & Company and Arcade Publishing.
CARRIE OBRY is the Acquisitions Editor for Llewellyn
Worldwide. Llewellyn is over a century old and is the
leading New Age Publisher. Carrie acquires self-help and
alternative health projects.
LIZ SCHEIER spent four years at
the Bantam Dell Publishing Group,
and left in early 2004 to join the New
American Library, a division of the
Penguin Group USA. She acquires
mainly science fiction, fantasy, and
horror for the Roc imprint, but is
also interested in biography, humor,
popular culture, and works of GLBT
interest. She is a graduate of Bryn
Mawr College, where she studied
Liz Scheier
English literature and thereby rendered herself blissfully unemployable in any other field.
PAUL TAUNTON has been on the editorial staff at the
Random House Publishing Group since 2003, working
mainly on the Ballantine list. Prior to that he worked
in Random House sales for several years serving independent booksellers. Categories of particular interest
include narrative nonfiction, suspense, crime, literary
fiction, and journalism.
April 2006
P.O. Box 2016
Edmonds, WA 98020-9516
www.pnwa.org
(425) 673-2665
[email protected]
2006 Summer Conference
Agent/Editor Request Form
Your Name:_____________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________
City:_______________________________ State:________________ Zip:_________________
Phone Number:__________________ Email Address: ________________________________________________
Manuscript category or genre: ___________________________________________________________________
Please list your choices in order of preference. Each attendee will be assigned one agent
appointment and one editor appointment. If your choices are not available we will assign an agent
and editor based on the manuscript category or genre listed above. Notification of appointments
will be mailed (in the attendee provided self-addressed business size envelope) approximately two
weeks prior to the conference. Appointment confirmation and schedules cannot be given prior to
the attendee’s receipt of the appointment cards. Changes to assigned appointments cannot be made
prior to the conference. Please visit the agent and editor desk at the conference to make changes.
AGENT: Agent appointments are one-to-one and last 10 minutes.
The first 150 people to register for the conference will receive TWO agent appointments.
1st Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
2nd Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
3rd Choice____________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
4th Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
5th Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
6th Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
EDITOR: Editor appointments will be held in groups of no more than six conference attendees
and one Editor. The appointment lasts for 30 minutes.
1st Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
2nd Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
3rd Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
4th Choice___________________________________ Office Use________________________________________
(All appointments are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis)
For Office Use:
Registrant Number______________
MEMBER
NEWS
Jennifer Sokol
Her book, Six Years Of
Grace: Caregiving Episodes
With My Mother, was accepted for publication with Tate
Publishiwng. At the 2005
summer’s PNWA conference
her book was a finalist in the
“Memoir” category.
Suzanne Selfors
At the 2005 summer conference she pitched a novel to
Jane Dystel and in October,
2005 signed a contract for
representation with her
agent Kate McKean. In January, 2006, Suzanne signed
a book deal with Little &
Brown for two middle grade
hardcover novels.
Kate van Gelder
She recently completed a
project for Sasquatch Books
to update a portion of the
16th edition of Best Places
Northwest, which will be
published in 2007.
Bob Dugoni, Esq.
Two-time winner of the
PNWA Literary Award for
fiction, Bob is celebrating
the release of his debut
novel, The Jury Master. His
novel, published by TimeWarner Books, will be in
stores March 21, 2006. Visit
www.BobDugoni.com.
Terry Persun
Terry’s newest book,
Giver of Gifts, has crafted
a thoughtful tale of a man
searching for the fundamental purpose of life. Visit
www.TerryPersun.com.
If any of you have publishing news to share please contact us at [email protected].
Page 5
April 2006
UPCOMING
EVENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Member Meeting
April 20, 2006
8:00 – 9:00pm
How to Get the Most Out of
Your Critique Group.
Chinook Middle School
2001 98th Ave. NE Bellevue,
WA
Dear Authors,
Each month that passes brings more changes
and added benefits to being part of PNWA. In
the next few months we will be mailing our
newsletters to members and friends of PNWA.
We don’t want anyone to miss out on learning
all that we have to offer. Some of our exciting opportunities can be found in this issue of
Northwest Ink.
This year we have invited additional agents
and editors to our conference. Our goal is to give
you more chances to make your dream of becoming a published author come true. In years past
you have had the opportunity to sign up for one
agent appointment and one editor appointment.
This year we are giving you a bonus opportunity.
For those who sign up early, you will be guaranteed two agent appointments in addition to the
one editor appointment. Your chances of getting
published have just increased. Don’t miss this
Early Bird Bonus Opportunity.
Board Meeting
April 20, 2006
7:00 – 7:45pm
PNWA Board meeting
(members welcome)
The Word Is Out
May 6 at 3:00 pm
Borders Books in Tacoma
2508 So. 38th Street
All genres welcome. 2000
word limit. Send submission to
[email protected]. Submission
Deadline March 23rd.
Summer Conference
Thursday – Sunday,
July 13 – 16, 2006
Mark your calendars now!
For details:
www.pnwa.org/conference
MEMBER BENEFITS
Special Offer! Get 10% off
tickets at the 5th Avenue
Theatre. For information
contact [email protected].
May 2-21 - Pippin
(from the creator of Wicked)
www.5thavenuetheatre.
org/group1.php3. Follow the
prompts to see dates and order
tickets. Offer is valid for the top
3 ticket prices for all Tu/W/
Th/Su evening performances.
Join us for Spotlight Night, our
FREE event featuring Pippin
creator Stephen Schwartz.
Sunday April 9, 7:00 pm
http://www.5thavenuetheatre.
org/spotlight.shtml.
Page 6
Pam Binder, PNWA President
Register for the Summer Conference and
Hotel on Line. For the first time we are making
this opportunity available. We have been working
hard to bring this feature to you. Check out our
website for updates to the conference.
Speaker Meetings. Our Speaker Meetings
have been an amazing success. Each month we
offer a speaker who will help inform and teach
authors about the writing life. This is our way of
building a PNWA writing community, not just in
the summer, but all year round.
We are always looking for new and innovative
ways to improve PNWA and make it more accessible to writers. We welcome all suggestions.
Have a great day writing,
Pam Binder
PNWA President
WRITER’S EXPERIENCE
It’s A Journey!
by Gail Jeidy
“Less is really more.”
My vacation away came to an abrupt end
when I spent the Labor Day weekend laboring at
home—clearing every room of clutter, not stopping at the usual clothes and toys and personal
detritus, but sparing nothing, not even books.
This was no small task for me as I am the kind
of person who has a habit of picking up beloved
objects and asking my 8-year-old, “Should we
give this away or do you want to save it for your
children?”
This particular household editing session,
though, was successful. Not only did I have
something real to show for my toils at the end
of three days – eight stuffed garbage bags – but
I was left with greater clarity.
Months later, I am still basking in the calm of
my space. I feel better. Think better. I don’t miss
what I don’t have. I’ve created some white space
in our home, which has made room for something
new. I’ve made things better by taking something
away, and that’s an empowering feeling.
It works the same with writing. The most
profound awakening I’ve had with my own work
over the past two years has been the power of cutting. I’m not talking about the usual rewriting and
editing we all do. I’m talking about cleaning house.
Taking a lagging paragraph, a problem scene, or
a dull middle, and lopping out whole sentences,
butting up new thoughts next to one another and
watching how it transforms the work.
The best time to do this is after a vacation
away from your writing, when you can see with
fresh eyes, own what you’ve written, honor the
depth acquired in the process of collecting all you
did, then cut. Slice away excess words until the
consciousness of the characters bleeds through.
Cut until your language becomes poetry.
I read a lovely little book this week called
Love that Dog by Sharon Creech. It’s a children’s
novel, a 15-minute adult read, told in a young
boy’s voice, and a fine reminder of how very much
can be said in so little.
Now, when there’s a problem in some part
of my story, I resist the temptation to automatically write more. Instead I consider cutting and
altering what I already own.
It’s painless because I can always stash my
garbage bags full of words in an ‘outtake’ file.
Moving forward isn’t always measured in
pages written. The most powerful progress often
comes from pages lost.
April 2006
PNWA 2006 SUMMER CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM
Donʼt miss this exciting 51st Summer Conference, July 13 - 16, 2006. Register Today. You can also register on our website at
www.pnwa.org. If you choose to register online you do not need to mail in a physical copy of the registration form.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name_______________________________________________Primary Writing Category or Genre________________________________
(This is how it will appear on your name badge)
Address ____________________________________________ City _______________________________ State________ Zip_________
Phone ______________________________________________________ Email _________________________________________
P.O. Box 2016
Edmonds, WA 98020-9516
www.pnwa.org
(425) 673-2665
[email protected]
CONFERENCE RATES: Youʼll save $100 by becoming a PNWA member. With membership costing only $65, it makes sense to join.
Registration fee includes all meals and activities except where noted below, and membership gives you year-round benefits.
� $350 Member
� $450 Non-member $________________
Registration fee (postmarked by June 6th)
Registration fee (postmarked after June 6th)
� $400 Member
� $500 Non-member $________________
Regular membership to PNWA (new or renewing) � new � renew
� $65
$________________
Student membership (new or renewing) Must provide official documentation of current full time enrollment.
� $25
$________________
SPECIAL EVENTS: Note that each registrant receives a free ticket to each of the two keynote dinners and one ticket to the Awards Ceremony .
Extra tickets for friends and relatives are on a first-come, first-serve basis. We suggest you make your request early.
Gayle Lynds, Thursday keynote speaker: I request [ ] extra tickets @ $60 each
$________________
Literary Contest Awards Ceremony Friday dinner: I request [ ] extra tickets @ $60 each $________________
Total for Special Events
David Morrell, Saturday keynote speaker: I request [ ] extra tickets @ $60 each
$________________
$________________
FOOD: Continental breakfasts, daily refreshments, Awards Ceremony dinner, and keynote dinners are included in the registration fee. At the lunch break,
sandwiches, etc., will be available at a reasonable cost at booths in the Conference Center. � I need vegetarian meals for Keynote and Awards dinners.
SPECIAL SUNDAY SESSIONS: You do not need to attend the conference to register for Sunday Sessions. They run from 9:00 am to noon and require an
extra fee. Please indicate your preferred session. All sessions are in-depth, interactive sessions. (Please choose only one of the following five sessions!)
� Creating Your World and the World of Magic with Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon
� No More Rejections with Alice Orr
� How to Write an Irresistible Non-Fiction Book Proposal with Rita Rosenkrantz
� Pathways to the Novel with Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick
� Surveillance and Counter-Surveillance with Agent Sheila Stevens
Special Sunday Session fee
� $95 Member
� $115 Non-member
$_______________
REFUND PROCEDURE: A $50 administrative fee will be withheld for cancellations before June 16.
No refunds will be issued for cancellations after June 16. Membership payments are not refundable.
Total Amount Due:$________________
PAYMENT: � Enclosed check or money order � MasterCard � Visa
Complete name (as it appears on card)________________________________Card number __________________________________ Exp. Date __________
Amount Authorized $____________ Authorized Signature______________________________________Security Code (from back of card -3 digits ) __________
WHAT TO DO NEXT: Please send the following items addressed to PNWA CONFERENCE, P.O. Box 2016, Edmonds, WA 98020-9516:
a) Registration Form and Agent and Editor Appointment Form
b) Check, money order or credit card details for full amount due, including the membership fee if you want to join PNWA.
c) Business-sized envelope that youʼve stamped and self-addressed - weʼll send back agent and editor appointment confirmations and conference
confirmation (including confirmation of extra dinner tickets).
Please note that by sending in your registration for the conference, you give PNWA permission to use your photo in promotional materials. Because of the panelists’ schedules,
last-minute substitutions are a possibility. We reserve the right to substitute new panelists and to change the roster of events.
Page 7
Hilton Seattle Airport &
Conference Center
17620 Pacific Hwy South,
Seattle, WA
Coming Soon!
2006 Pacific Northwest
Writers Conference
July 13-16 2006
Complementary Copy
P.O. Box 2016
Edmonds, WA 98020-9516
Phone: 425-673-2665 (BOOK)
Email: [email protected]
Pacific
Northwest
Writers
Association
MEMBER
NEWS
GENRE CLOSE-UP
Playwriting vs. Fiction Writing
by Nu Quang
Have you ever written a play that has received
a staged reading, or even better, that has been
produced? If you have, congratulations. You have
overcome one hurdle that some fiction writers are
struggling with—dialogue. Dialogue dominates
a playscript where stage direction, equal to the
combination of brief description and narration in
fiction, is scattered. In Shakespeare’s plays, stage
direction is minimal, mainly about a character’s
entrance and exit; for example, “Enter a messenger,” and about a physical activity, such as “They
draw.” The memorable one is in Act III, Scene iii
of The Winter’s Tale, “Exit pursued by a bear.”
Dialogue distinguishes plays from fiction.
It also makes plays difficult to write because
playwrights don’t have the other literary devices
fiction writers have: description and narration.
However, produced playwrights know how to
make a play work largely through dialogue.
How can fiction writers write effective and
snappy dialogue that moves the story forward in
a dramatic way?
The answer is to read plays. Preferably plays
that answer the dramatic question: what do the
major characters want? A play about characters
driven by their desires abounds in conflict, drama,
and tension, and is certainly prevalent in characters’ interaction with each other. Shakespeare
tops the list.
If you have your own favorite playwrights,
by all means read their plays. If not, and you
prefer contemporary playwrights, Edward Albee,
Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and David
Mamet follow the Bard. If you are averse to the
obscenity in Mamet’s dialogue, expel the “f ”
word. But don’t banish it altogether. Instead, take
a look at the way Mamet creates conflict and tension in characters’ speeches, and when your own
character’s anger justifies it, use that word with
the power it carries.
Daniel James
Brown’s
book, Under
a Flaming
Sky, will be
published
May 1 and has
already been
selected as a Barnes & Noble
“Discover Great New Writers”
title for Summer 2006. It also
just received a favorable review
in the most recent issue of
Publishers Weekly. Learn more
about the book at
www.danieljamesbrown.com.
The Pen and The Key has been
chosen as a finalist in the 2005
ForeWord Magazine Book
of the Year Awards. There
were 1,540 entries, and only
604 finalists were selected
to compete in 55 categories.
Winners will be announced
at BEA in Washington DC on
Friday, May 19th at 3pm. We
are keeping our fingers crossed.