Central Oregon Writers Guild Presents Brainstorming a New Novel

A writing workshop with author Jill Williamson on Saturday, April 25, 12pm-4pm at  COCC Redmond Campus.
Williamson will present her method for taking a new idea and crafting it into a story.

•Building Your World – Whether you’re writing in this world or creating a world of your own, your setting should feel like its own character. We’ll discuss techniques for using your setting in a way that makes your storyworld feel like a real place.

•Creating Compelling Characters – A great character can live in a reader’s mind forever. We’ll go through a step-by-step process to help you create authentic characters your readers will not only care about, but will never forget. We’ll discuss character backstory, motivation, tags, archetypal roles, and work through a detailed character worksheet.

•Storyboarding Your Plot – Inspired by the process that Hollywood uses to create great storylines, we’ll create a storyboard as a group, study its three-act structure, look for plot holes, check character motivations, track themes and subplots, and consider the climax and ending. This process is great for taking a look at your plot all at once to discover weaknesses. It’s also a good way to create a story map before you start writing.

What to bring for the workshop: You might want to bring a notepad if you prefer more space than is provided on the worksheet handouts.
Small Group Critique will be offered immediately following Jill’s presentation from 2:30-4:00. This is your opportunity to brush up on critique skills and get valuable feedback on your work-in-progress. Jill will participate in critique.

What to bring for critique: Six copies of your opening pages or any two pages you would like to workshop.

Saturday, April 25, 12pm-4pm at  COCC Redmond Campus, 2030 SE College Loop, Bldg. 3, Room 306
Refreshments:  Coffee and light refreshments
Cost:  $15 for Guild members. $25 for non-members at the door.
Contact: RSVP and reserve handouts, cowgcritique@gmail.com by April 21.
www.CentralOregonWritersGuild.com

Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms and the award-winning author of a dozen fantasy novels. She got into writing one day when someone was complaining about teen books and she thought, “I could do that! How hard could it be?” Very, she soon learned. But she worked hard, and four years later, her first book, By Darkness Hid, was published and won several awards, including the Christy Award. Jill is a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant, who was raised in Alaska. She loves teaching about writing, which she does weekly at www.GoTeenWriters.com. She lives in Eastern Oregon with her husband, two children, and a whole lot of deer. Visit her online at www.jillwilliamson.com, where adventure comes to life.

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