The Muse & the Marketplace 2016

This may seem like a simple question, but it’s not—and for many writers, the answer isn’t so easy to come up with either. But it’s an important question when it comes to selling your book and finding readers, and it’s even more important when you’re in the process of writing it—particularly if you’re closing in on a first draft and/or contemplating a revision. So: What IS your book about? In this dynamic session we’ll look into the three main ways of answering that question: concept, premise, and theme. We’ll discuss each of them in detail, providing a number of illustrative examples from familiar and/or recently published novels. Then you’ll have a chance to come up with the answers for your own novel or memoir, a process that can help you zero in on the core meaning of a work in progress, break creative logjams, and give you the insight needed to take your story to the next level.

Do you have so many ideas on the page but struggle with how to arrange them? What does it mean to have a well-structured story or essay? In this class, we will go over the essentials of structure used in fiction and non-fiction. We'll talk about the narrative arc: inciting incident, the climax, the resolution. We'll discuss the importance of the first paragraph and of the last paragraph. We'll talk about what to do with backstory and with subplots, and how to know if they belong in your story/essay or if they should be chopped. We'll also learn a new trick about structure that involves a chicken, a mouse, and a snake -- this trick will help your story or essay stay well-structured while remaining a living, breathing thing.

The magic pixie dust for how to reach lots and lots of readers may be elusive, but two things about book discoverability are indisputable: readers are always on the lookout for good stories and writers are increasingly desperate to find their people. While the definition of crossover fiction within the industry is debatable—on this readers, writers, agents, editors, and publishers can agree—everyone wins when a novel has ageless appeal. Join novelist Lynne Griffin for a discussion about what makes a novel crossover from general fiction to young adult or vice versa. Using examples of novels that have done just that, we'll discuss how to build story worlds where something is at risk for well-developed, authentic characters of all ages and how to create the kind of intense curiosity that keeps readers turning pages.

Our selection for the 2016 All-Conference Read in Non-Fiction is Her by Christa Parravani. During this session, Ms. Parravani will join us to discuss how she constructed the book as well as its path to publication. This writer-focused book club will be led by the author and WBUR senior correspondent Deborah Becker. 

“You should write a book!” Maybe you’ve heard that for years. Maybe you’ve even begun to write it. Maybe you’re realizing that book manuscripts get unwieldy, fast. One out of ten writers never finish their manuscript, because most first-time book writers get lost without good structure and planning. Learn the key ingredients to build a successful book structure in any genre—memoir, fiction, or nonfiction—via the simple three-act system. Learn why Aristotle called it the “perfect structure” and why humans need a beginning, middle, and end for emotional catharsis. Mary Carroll Moore has helped over 2,000 writers get to the finish line using this method. Moore’s Your Book Starts Here won the 2011 NH Literary Award for People’s Choice; she is the author of twelve other published books in three genres and a PEN/Faulkner nominee. This simple and successful book-writing process can take your book idea to publication.

NOTE: THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL SECTION OF THIS SAME SESSION OFFERED ON SATURDAY. Do you struggle to offer background information on a character or place without losing narrative momentum? Are you unsure of how to include social, cultural, or political context while keeping your writing engaging and entertaining? This session will focus on that crucial element for creating socially layered, culturally nuanced, but ultimately accessible stories: context. You will be provided with a series of detailed approaches—alongside specific examples—to ensure the context you include in a piece of fiction fits smoothly into the narrative, heightens tension, enriches plot, and deepens characters. You will also be given several take-home exercises as practical tools that can be applied during the drafting and revision of a novel or short story.

Developing characters - or creating “activated” characters - means writing people who are human: that is, as layered, complicated, flawed, hopeful, and contradictory as we are. Using brief examples culled from both fiction and nonfiction, this workshop will examine the techniques great writers employ to create complex characters. We’ll then do a few exercises designed to put some flesh and bones on characters you’ve already created. Please come to this session with one or two of your characters in mind.