June 24 - 29, 2012

2012 Program

In addition to the intensive morning workshops, The Paris Writers’ Workshop offers a series of afternoon lectures and panels about the practical aspects of writing and the realities of getting published. We’re pleased to welcome an outstanding group of well-known English-language writers, guaranteed to provide useful information and lively discussions. The events are free to PWW participants, and are open to the public at the fees indicated on the WICE Website. Books by the authors will be available at all the events. More information is available at WICE

(Please note that the schedule and panelists may be subject to change.)

Lectures and Panels

• Monday, June 25, 2:00 – 3:30 pm: Tools of the Trade (Samantha Chang, Kate McMullan, Kathleen Spivack, Christopher Tilghman)
• Monday, June 25, 3:45 – 5:00 pm: How To Structure A Good Story: Beginnings, Middles, and Endings (Jami Bernard)
• Tuesday, June 26, 2:00 – 5:00pm: Secrets of Getting Published (Jami Bernard)
• Wednesday, June 27, 2:00 – 3:15 pm: Literary Trends: The Takeover via Self-Publishing and E-Books (Stephen Clarke, Mary Duncan, Gretel Furner)
• Wednesday, June 27, 3:30 – 4:30 pm: The Wide World of Nonfiction: From Memoir to Food to Travel (Alec Lobrano, Mimi Schwartz, Thirza Vallois)
• Thursday, June 28, 2:00 – 3:00 pm: Welcome to the 21st Century: How To Use Blogs and Social Media to Your Advantage (Sion Dayson, Adrian Leeds)
• Thursday, June 28, 3:15 – 4:45 pm: The Role of the Agent (Paul Schmidtberger & our visiting Literary Agents)

Readings

• Tuesday, June 26, 7:30 – 9:00 pm: PWW Author Readings at the American Library in Paris
• Friday, June 29, 3:45 – 5:00 pm: Workshop Participants’ Readings

Consultations

Individual consultations with your Writer-in-Residence (30 minutes) are included in the workshop fee and will be scheduled during the week.

• Wednesday, June 27, beginning at 4:30 pm: Individual consultations with Jami Bernard to "Polish Your Pitch." These consultations are 50 euros for a 20-minute meeting and are a useful precursor to meeting with a literary agent (whether here at the workshop or in the future). Sign up early as these consultations are limited.
• Friday, June 29, 1:30 – 4:00 pm:Individual consultations with literary agents. These consultations are 50 euros for a 15-minute meeting and are the perfect opportunity to pitch your talent and your work. The cost for the public is 125 euros. Sign up early as these consultations are limited.

Sign up for a "Polish Your Pitch" consultation and a Literary Agent consultation for the discounted rate of 75 euros for both.

Lectures and Panels

Tools of the Trade

This panel is designed to share the talent and experience of our expert Writers-in-Residence with the entire PWW community. PWW attendees work intensively with just one of our accomplished faculty members, but these well-seasoned writers/teachers all have valuable information that should be available to all workshop attendees. Join us for what promises to be the ultimate lesson in "Tools of the Trade."

How to Structure a Good Story

This workshop, sometimes called SOS or secrets of structure, will review the basics of good story structure. Does your plot need help? Do you need to review the basic elements of structure. How will you craft a compelling beginning, middle, and end? In SOS, you’ll learn how to get a working structure for your fiction or memoir and how to create a blueprint for identifying the "beats" that shape and drive your story.

Secrets to Getting Published

This intensive afternoon workshop is a special addition to PWW and a valuable asset to writers venturing on the publishing path, as Jami Bernard is one of the best writing coaches around. We start with the basic questions: How do you know if your idea is good? How do you know when your book is ready? Who is going to do what on the road to publishing (agent, editor, publisher).

The next step is understanding the role of the agent. Why do you need an agent? How do you find one? How do you develop your pitch and an outstanding book proposal? Jami will also discuss publishing options (traditional vs new media) and provide a few bonus treats: tips for first-time authors and the ten biggest mistakes that keep writers from getting published. You’ll come away with a head full of ideas and a heart full of inspiration.

Literary Trends: Self-Publishing and eBooks

What’s going on in the literary world today? With the technology of the 21st century transforming our lives and with brick-and-mortar bookstores disappearing in cyberdust, everything is changing. Join an expert panel as they discuss the pros and cons of self-publishing and the advantages and pitfalls of eBooks ... which we know are here to stay.

The Wide World of Nonfiction: From Memoir to Food to Travel

Nonfiction opportunities are endless. This lively and diverse panel will discuss the similarities and differences in writing for a range of nonfiction niches (from travel writing to restaurant reviews to essays to memoirs) and will include some helpful tricks and tips for discovering your voice, polishing your work, pitching yourself and your ideas, and finding publication channels.

How to Use Blogs and Social Media

These days you almost have to write a blog and have a passion for tweeting to make yourself heard, and, even then, it’s a fight to find room in cyberspace. To talk about these phenomena, we have assembled a true panel of experts. They’ll talk about their own steps to finding their audience and online voice, as well as steps writers might take to promote and publicize their work ... and find a publisher.

The Role of the Literary Agent

Our panel of literary agents and a writer who has worked both with and without an agent will talk about the role of the agent, what the agent looks for in a writer and in a manuscript, and how the agent helps a client through all phases of development and promotion.