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Living Your Writing Life Symposium
Fourteenth Annual VWC Symposium
Living Your Writing Life: Embracing New Chapters
August 3, 2024
This year's Symposium will be in-person at Randolph-Macon College, 114 College Ave., Ashland, Virginia.
We're excited to have MM "Peggy" Finck as our keynote speaker.
MM Finck is a publishing consultant and niche editor specializing in queries, pitches, opening pages, & overall story analysis. She established her practice as the Query Quill in 2014. She oversees WomenWriters,Women[‘s]Books’s Agents’ Corner & Author Interviews segments. She was granted the first ever interview with the Editor-in-Chief of Amazon’s Lake Union Publishing. Among MM’s clients’ and interviewees’ successes are chart rankings, bestsellers, and two adaptations to television series - one Apple, one Prime. Two-time Vice-President of Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Past-Chair Advisor for Rising STAR Award for Unpublished Women’s Fiction. Founder of Penning Suspense, a group for suspenseful & thriller fiction writers, and togetHER, a Facebook group for women. Also active in James River Writers, Sister in Crime, & Writer Unboxed. Represented by Katie Shea Boutillier. On social media as @MMFinck.
SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE
9:00 - 9:30: Gather and mingle
9:30 - 9:50: Welcome in auditorium classroom (all attendees)
10:05 - 11:00: Session 1 (choose 1)
· Cecilia Thomas - So You Think You're Not a Poet?
· Susan Schwartz - Organizing a Non-Fiction Book (Ins, Outs, & In-Betweens)
· Charles Tabb - Kindle Direct Publishing: It's Simpler than You Think (and Free)
· Deidra Whitt Lovegren - It's in the (Tarot) Cards! — How to Use Archetypes to Your Writing Advantage
11:15 - 12:10: Session 2 (choose 1)
· Betsy Ashton - Turning Real Life Events into Fiction without Angering the Entire Family
- Tracee Lydia Garner - Break Into Romance Writing and Publishing
· Pamela K. Kinney - Writing the Book Blurb That Will Catch the Reader's Attention to Your Book
· J.E. Tobin - The Awesome Antagonist: Writing Powerful Foes
12:10 - 1:00 LUNCH
1:00 - 1:45: Keynote Speaker, MM "Peggy" Finck
2:00 - 2:55: Session 3 (choose 1)
· Claudine Griggs - Speculative Fiction: A Genre of Hope
· Joan Garrabrant - Using Poetry to Find Your Voice
· Leslie Truex - How to Write a Synopsis and Query Letter
· Clifford Garstang - What We Talk About When We Talk about Point of View
3:10 - 4:05: Session 4 (choose 1)
· Elizabeth Spencer Spragins - Knot the Plot in Flash Fiction
· Diane Fanning - Writing is a Crime
· Ken Conklin - The Do's and Don'ts of Self-Publishing
- Joanne Liggan - Creating Unforgettable Characters and Plots
BOOK SIGNINGS WILL TAKE PLACE FROM 4:10 - 4:30.
BOOKS ARE ON SALE ALL DAY.
Early Bird Registration is from June 4 to June 30th.
Early Bird price is $65 for members and $75 for non-members.
After July 1, prices will be $75 for members and $85 for non-members.
Early Bird price for student members is $40 and non-member students is $50.
After July 1, student prices will be $50 for members and $60 for non-members.
Lifetime members may attend at no charge.
Registration includes access to all workshops (one from each session), the symposium booklet (available online), plus lunch.
Lunch Menu Choices:
Bavarian Blast Sandwich: Virginia-Cured Ham with Smoked Gouda Cheese, Honey Mustard Dressing, Leaf Lettuce and Tomatoes on a Pretzel Roll
Country Chicken Salad Sandwich: White-Meat, Country-Style Chicken Salad with Leaf Lettuce and Vine-Ripened Tomato on a Brioche Roll
Turkey Club Wrap: Smoked Turkey Breast, Monterey Jack Cheese, Applewood Bacon, Red Leaf Lettuce, Sliced Tomato and Mayonnaise in a Spinach Tortilla
Veggie Explosion Wrap: California Asparagus, Leaf Lettuce, Feta Cheese, Micro Greens, Roasted Red Peppers and Boursin® Cheese Spread in a Tortilla