The Lone Star Writer’s Conference

DATE:    October 15, 2011

WHERE: 

Houston Marriot North at Greenspoint

255 N Sam Houston Parkway East

Houston, Texas 77060

 

REGISTRATION STARTS:

Saturday - 8:00 a.m.

Kendall Watts
Sales Manager
Hilton Houston North
12400 Greenspoint Dr.
Houston Texas 77060
D- 281-875-4555
F-281-875-4596
kendall.watts@ihrco.com 

CONFERENCE FEE:  $125.00

Registration will begin August 1, 2011.

SPEAKERS AND AGENT LINEUP to date: 

Keynote Speaker:

 INSTRUCTOR BIO

Alexandra Sokoloff is a screenwriter who has sold original suspense and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios, for producers such as Michael Bay, Laura Ziskin, David Heyman, and Neal Moritz. Her adaptation of Sabine Deitmer's psychological thriller COLD KISSES was filmed in Germany. Alex is the author of the supernatural thrillers THE HARROWING, THE PRICE, THE UNSEEN, and BOOK OF SHADOWS, and a new paranormal romance, THE SHIFTERS.   She is also the author of SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS (AND SCREENWRITERS!), a workbook based on her internationally acclaimed blog and workshops.   She is a Thriller Award winner and a Bram Stoker and Anthony Award nominee.

Alex has served on the Board of Directors of the WGAw, the screenwriters' union, and the board of Mystery Writers of America, and is the founder of WriterAction.com, an online community and resource center of 2000+ professional screenwriters.  In her spare time (!)she performs with Heather Graham's Slush Pile Players, and dances every chance she gets.

Visit her website at:  http://alexandrasokoloff.com

And her blog on Screenwriting Tricks for Authors at http://screenwritingtricks.com

WORKSHOP:

SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS (and Screenwriters!)

Are you finally committed to writing that novel but have no idea how to get started? Or are you a published author - but know you need some plotting help to move your books and career up to that next level?

Screenwriting is a compressed and dynamic storytelling form and the techniques of screenwriting are easily adaptable to novel writing. You can jump-start your plot and bring your characters and scenes vibrantly alive on the page - by watching your favorite movies and learning from the storytelling tricks of great filmmakers.

In this workshop, based on award-winning author/screenwriter Alexandra Sokoloff’s internationally acclaimed Screenwriting Tricks For Authors blog and workbook, you'll learn how to use techniques of film writing such as:

- the High Concept Premise

- the Three-Act, Eight-Sequence Structure

- the Storyboard Grid

- the Index Card Method of Plotting

- as well as tricks of film pacing and suspense, character arc and drive, visual storytelling, and building image systems - to structure and color your novel for maximum emotional impact, unbearable suspense and riveting pacing, no matter what genre you're writing in.

You'll start to create your own personalized workbook of genre tricks based on your favorite books and movies and tailored to your own brand of storytelling, and a collage book to build visual image systems. And the emphasis on premise is invaluable for crafting that all-important query and pitch.

In this rapidly changing world of publishing, more and more agents and editors are looking for novels that have the pacing, emotional excitement, and big, unique, "high concept" premises of Hollywood movies (and the potential for that movie or TV sale!).

Whether you're just starting to develop a book or script, or rewriting for maximum impact, this workshop will introduce you to an easy, effective and fun process to help you make your book or script the best it can be.

 Agents:

Natalie M. Fischer

is an Assistant Agent at the Bradford Literary Agency. An honors graduate of the University of San Diego, California, Natalie holds a B.A. in Literature/Writing. She started as an intern at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency in 2007, after which time she left to write author profiles and book reviews for the San Diego Union Tribune. Finding that journalism was just not for her, she returned to work full-time at the Dijkstra Agency in April 2009, and started building her own client list in September of that same year. She made her move to the Bradford Agency in February of 2011.  

Natalie's interests include talented, hard-working new authors with a fresh, unique voice and hook. Her specialty is commercial fiction, with an emphasis in children’s literature (from picture book-YA/Teen), romance (contemporary and historical), historical fiction, multi-cultural fiction, paranormal, sci-fi/fantasy in YA or romance only, fairy-tale/legend spin-offs, and “beautiful dark” novels. She will also consider select nonfiction (has to have a fantastic hook and an even more fantastic author platform) and that amazing project she never even knew she was looking for! She is always drawn to an open and positive attitude in an author, good grammar, and fantastical, engaging and sexy plots.

The Bradford Literary Agency is a boutique agency located in sunny San Diego, California. Founded in 2001, it is an editorial-focused agency that prefers to work closely with its authors in helping to build strong, sustainable careers.

Read more about the agency at www.bradfordlit.com, follow Natalie on Twitter @Natalie_Fischer, or visit her blog

www.adventuresinagentland.blogspot.com