Context Writing Workshops
updated May 30, 2009
The workshops listed on this page require an additional fee to properly compensate the instructors for their time and preparation; however, there will also be plenty of writing-related panels included at no extra charge with your convention registration.
Due to the nature of these workshops, we must have a valid email address for each participant, so be sure to include one when you register. If you register by postal mail, send an email to workshop coordinator Lucy Snyder immediately at workshop@contextsf.org to let her know what you've signed up for, or else we can't guarantee you'll get a spot.
We may be adding some critique workshops later; to get an announcement, please sign up for our newsletter.
Also, please be aware that some of the workshops conflict, so make sure you're not signing up for two that happen at the same time. Take a look at our workshop grid PDF.
Questions? Email Lucy at workshop@contextsf.org.
Friday Workshops
Lawrence C. Connolly: Characterization and Dialogue
(Friday, August 28th, 7pm-8:30pm)
This workshop will begin with the basics of dialogue and character development and move forward to explore effective ways of conveying characterization. $15, 1.5 hours. 18 seats remain.
Tim Esaias: Warfare For Writers
(Friday, August 28th, 7pm-10pm)
This workshop offers some basics for the writer who sends characters into battle. It tackles three elements of this vast subject, in separate sections.
"A Catechism for the Semi-Clueless" addresses the fundamentals of military science: What is War? Why are there units? Why officers? What are strategy, tactics, logistics and camp-followers? Other basic definitions will be addressed, but most importantly we'll ask 'What Does This Mean For My Writing?' for each element. "Fortifications 101" is a slide show, discussing defenses through history. There will be naming of parts, with a focus on the eight essential elements that tend to be missing when you visit castles, forts and bastions today. "Getting Combat on the Page" will be writing exercises, to put theory into practice. We'll break battle down into modular parts, and consider what to show the reader, and what to spare them. We'll remind ourselves that battle is our opportunity to stress our fictional characters in a nicely extreme environment. $30, 3 hours. 17 seats remain.
Lawrence C. Connolly: Maintaining Narrative Tension
(Friday, August 28th, 9pm-10:30pm)
Regardless of the genre (SF, fantasy, or horror), narrative tension is crucial to a good story. To succeed as writers, we must hold our reader's interest, keep that reader wondering what will happen next and why, and sustain tension right up to the final page. Drawing examples from successful stories and novels, this workshop provides practical techniques for grabbing and maintaining reader interest. $15, 1.5 hours. 17 seats remain.
Saturday Workshops
Tim Esaias: Point of View
(Saturday, August 29th, 9am-noon)
A guide for the baffled, a balm for the bewildered. No subject in writing leads to such bitter arguments, such frequent fisticuffs, or so many duels, as POV. Books on writing contradict each other; critique partners disagree; and the "rules" never seem to be reflected in the latest best-seller. This workshop will grasp the nettle of POV in a well-gloved hand, and explain what all the bruises and black eyes are about. We'll address the wide variety of reader expectations, the hard truths of editors' demands, and how you can keep up with changing techniques in your own genre. You'll learn how to pick your POV, how to establish it, how to transition, and how to avoid embarrassing screw-ups. Tim Esaias promises to turn dull theory into a sharp tool, and give you conscious control of the cinematography of your narrative. There will also be chocolate and malt balls. $30, 3 hours. 19 seats remain.
Ellen Klages: Improv for Writers
(Saturday, August 29th, 10am-noon)
Feeling stressed out? Are you suffering from writer's block, or worse, writer's blahs? Learn how to get out of your head, clear the cobwebs and jumpstart your creativity
with some techniques from theatre improvisation. You'll learn useful skills and have fun in the process. $20, 2 hours. 18 seats remain.
Diana Botsford: 16 Steps to Better Description
(Saturday, August 29th, 10am-1pm)
Writing rich, descriptive prose doesn't mean you have to stop the story so your reader can 'look around.' Learn how to write compelling prose that moves the story forward while providing a deep, visual experience for your reader. All workshop participants will have the opportunity to recraft passages from their writings and receive feedback from the workshop. Homemade cookies will be served! $30, 3 hours. 19 seats remain.
Ellen Klages: How to Research
(Saturday, August 29th, 1pm-3pm)
In-depth discussion of how to find the information you need to craft good stories, where to look, and how to take advantage of unexpected sources.
$20, 2 hours. 18 seats remain.
Diane Turnshek: Getting the Science Right
(Saturday, August 29th, 3pm-5pm)
Editors are crying for hard-SF, but new writers tend to shy away from
writing it, afraid they don't have the background. This workshop will
give science fiction writers the latest scoop on rocket propulsions,
space elevator technology, time travel, robotics, nanotechnology,
parallel universes, trends in weapons and communication systems,
flying cars, exo-solar planetary research and other cutting edge
science topics, including how to build believable aliens. Flipside
topics, "Getting the Science Wrong", include UFO cults, astrology and
other pseudosciences, and infamous science blunders in fiction.
Lecture format with Q&A session. $20, 2 hours. 17 seats remain.
Ellen Klages: Writing YA
(Saturday, August 29th, 6pm-9pm)
The young adult market is extremely hot right now. What makes a good YA
novel? What's the difference between writing for teens versus writing for adults? Find out in this workshop from Ellen Klages, author of The Green Glass Sea, which won the the Scott O'Dell Award and Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature, and of White Sands, Red Menace, which won the California Book Award for YA fiction. $30, 3 hours. 8 seats remain.
Tim Esaias: Conflict and Plot
(Saturday, August 29th, 6pm-9pm)
All across the country your rivals are plotting, plotting . . . plotting both their novels and your failure. This workshop teaches effective plotting, and how to employ conflict to advance your personal agenda. Techniques will include torture (of your characters), denial (of their desires), seduction (of the readers) and annihilation (of your competitors); all without legal consequences. The whole experience will be riddled with conflict. Bring three pages of your own text for use in exercises. Kevlar© optional. $30, 3 hours. 16 seats remain.
Sunday Workshops
Ellen Klages: Writing Historical Fiction
(Sunday, August 30th, 10am-1pm)
In this workshop, you will learn tips and techniques for making the past come to life from the author of White Sands, Red Menace (winner of the California Book Award for YA fiction) and The Green Glass Sea (winner of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction).
$30, 3 hours. 9 seats remain.
Diana Botsford: Rewrites: Recipes for Dicing & Slicing Your Manuscript
(Sunday, August 30th, 10am-1pm)
A pinch of planning, a cup of story maps, a quarter pound of index cards and yes ... that first draft can be diced, sliced and baked into a professional manuscript worthy of submission. Workshop attendees will be guided through step-by-step instructions, creating full-fledged rewrite plans they can follow upon completion of this workshop. $30, 3 hours. 15 seats remain.
Diane Turnshek: How to Teach Genre Writing
(Sunday, August 30th, 1pm-4pm)
Unless you are a prolific, best-selling novelist, teaching how to
write pays more than writing. With the material offered, an author can
pick up college classes, run online workshops or be paid to present
workshops in local venues. An array of fun, educational activities will be presented including: how to craft your own prompts and exercises, logically-ordered lecture notes with exemplary shorts, and enough material to fill a three-credit, one-semester class complete with model proposal and
syllabus. Dozens of writing books will be displayed and reviewed.
During the workshop, we will run through ten of the best class
activities. $30, 3 hours. 18 seats remain.
Variably Scheduled Workshops
Paula Guran: Novel Package Critiques
(Friday, Saturday, Sunday TBA)
Paula Guran is the editor-in-chief of Juno Books, which is an imprint of Pocket Books (a division of Simon & Schuster). She will be offering individual critiques of novel submission packages. Fantasy, horror, cross-genre, and paranormal manuscripts will be accepted. To participate, you will need to submit the first three chapters and a one-to-five page synopsis of your novel between July 15th and August 10th; submission details will be sent to students after they register. At the convention, Ms. Guran will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript. In addition to the discussion, she will give you a written critique of your work. Students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions during the morning and early evening Saturday based on other workshop scheduling. Not for those with easily hurt feelings as comments will be direct. $85. 10 sessions remain.
Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury: Lucky 13
(Friday, Saturday, Sunday TBA)
In this one-hour workshop, five writers will join instructor Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury to work on the hugely-important openings of their stories or novels. Participants will read aloud the first 13 lines of their manuscripts and the group will discuss whether or not a prospective reader/editor would "turn the page" and why, with suggestions for improvement.
Several sessions of this workshop will be offered throughout the weekend; participants will be assigned to one of these sessions based on their availability after other workshops are taken into account. $15, 1 hour. 33 seats remain.
Michael Knost: Short Story Critiques
(Friday, Saturday, Sunday TBA)
Editor Michael Knost will be offering individual critiques of dark genre short stories of up to 6,000 words. You must submit your manuscript at least a month before the convention. At the convention, Mr. Knost will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript; in addition to the discussion, he will give you a written critique of your work. Submission details will be sent to students after they register; students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions based on other workshop scheduling. $50. 9 sessions remain.
Jackie Gamber: Novel Package Critiques
Jackie Gamber of Meadowhawk Press will be offering individual critiques of novel submission packages. Science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, alternate history, or magic realist manuscripts will be accepted. To participate, you will need to submit the first three chapters, a cover letter and a one-to-five page synopsis of your novel by July 17th; submission details will be sent to students after they register. At the convention, Ms. Gamber will meet with you individually to discuss your manuscript. In addition to the discussion, she will give you a written critique of your work. Students will be scheduled for their 20-minute sessions during the morning and early afternoon Sunday based on other workshop scheduling. $50. 10 sessions remain.
Sold Out Workshops
Gary A. Braunbeck: Establishing and Maintaining Emotional Realism in Fiction
(Saturday, August 29th, 1pm-5pm)
Join Bram Stoker Award- and International Horror Guild Award-winning author Gary A. Braunbeck for an intensive 4-hour workshop on creating and maintaining emotional realism in fantastic fiction through characterization, dialogue, and the small, telling human nuances that can reveal so much about a character's emotional state without them having to say a single word. The workshop will focus on various methods writers can employ to summon the emotions needed to tell an effective - and affecting - story, and how to avoid easy (and lazy) manipulation. All workshop participants will be given a (short) pre-workshop assignment to write and bring with them. $40, 4 hours. No seats left.