"Voice is Everything" - Nicholas Delbanco
Acclaimed editor, writing coach, teacher, and book doctor Susan Sutliff Brown and literary agent Andy Ross are conducting a 6-day intensive writing workshop for fiction and creative non-fiction writers focusing on discovering that crucial but ineffable element to great writing, a mesmerizing narrative voice. The workshop will focus on craft, inspiration, and, where it's appropriate, getting your project ready for publication. The workshop will run from April 25 - April 30, 2020
The workshop will be conducted at the beautiful Still Waters Retreat located outside of Austin, Texas on 67 acres of land in the gorgeous hill country.
Susan will lead us in exploring the secrets of the literary masters and the commercial best-selling authors to create a voice that grabs the reader by the heart. We will work with Susan on developing techniques such as internal monologue, literary allusion, hyper dialogue, personality-driven exposition, multi-layered tone, symbolic imagery, dramatic irony, James Joyce's Uncle Charles Principal, and paragraph architecture.
With Andy, we will be learning what book publishers and literary agents really want, the steps to getting published, final self-edits, effective query letters, book proposals, how agents evaluate submissions, researching the right agent for you, elements of the book contract, and self-publishing. If you are ready for publication, Andy will provide a detailed evaluation of your query letter and book proposal.
Mornings after breakfast you'll attend interactive workshops from 10 AM to 1 PM. Susan and Andy will lead the workshops that include:
- Using models from the world's greatest (and trashiest) writers in order to help you "find" and/or create a gripping narrative voice.
- Responding to prompts and exercises, students will practice applying these concepts in a scene from their own work-in-progress.
- Susan will offer students assignments from which to choose for the evening's optional reading and feedback session.
- Susan and Andy will discuss great beginnings, how they draw the reader - and the agent and book publisher - into the story.
- Andy will conduct a class on how he evaluates unsolicited query's (the infamous "slush pile"). We will join together to work with real queries to decide if they are ready for representation.
In the afternoons, there will be time for writing and exploring the beautiful hill country surrounding the retreat. There will also be individual conferences with Andy to discuss preparing your project for publication.
In the evenings, we will have optional readings and feedback sessions. Choosing from a list of assignments, workshop members will share up to three pages of a workshop assignment or three pages of new material from their larger work in progress. We will make suggestions and offer feedback in applying the techniques discussed in the workshop sessions.
Susan Sutliff Brown, Ph.D. is a private editor, writing coach, and book doctor of critically acclaimed fiction and memoir. She brings forty years of teaching college creative writing and private book editing to her sold-out workshops. As a published James Joyce scholar, Susan offers a working background in literary history and introduces writers to the writing secrets of the masters from Herman Melville to James Joyce. Susan has privately coached over 100 clients in the past decade and has guided dozens of books into print as a personal editor.All of Susan's clients and students are quick to note her warmth, honesty, and sense of humor as well as her ability to help a writer clearly "see" his or her book.
Andy RossAndy Ross opened his literary agency in 2008. Prior to that, he was the owner of the legendary Cody's Books in Berkeley for 30 years. His agency represents books in a wide range of non-fiction genres including narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history, popular culture, memoir, and current events. He also represents literary, commercial, historical, crime, upmarket women's fiction, and YA fiction.
Andy is the author of The Literary Agent's Guide to Writing a Non-Fiction Book Proposal. He has participated in writers' conferences throughout the country and has taught classes about writing book proposals, composing query letters, working with agents, and getting published. His popular blog, "Ask the Agent: Night Thoughts About Books and Publishing", has received over 600,000 unique views.
Authors Andy represents include: Daniel Ellsberg, Susan Griffin, Fritjof Capra, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Anjanette Delgado, Scott Ostler, Tawni Waters, Randall Platt, Mary Jo McConahay, Gerald Nachman, Michael Parenti, Paul Krassner, Milton Viorst, Mark Goldblatt, Beth Hensperger, and Michele Anna Jordan.
Andy is a member of the Association of Author Representatives (AAR).
Price, Registration, and DetailsThe price for the workshop is $1200 per participant. This does not include the cost of housing or air and ground transportation. Participants will be responsible for their own housing in the Austin area. You can find an inexpensive room on Airbnb or you can stay at one of the many fine small hotels in town. The price includes the full 6-day workshop, 6 breakfasts together at the house, and a final dinner in situ or at charming local restaurant. Classes begin at 10 AM, Saturday, April 25, 2020 and the last class will end at noon on Thursday, April 30.
Deposit and Payment.We are limiting the size of the workshop to 18 participants. In order to reserve your place, we require a deposit of $200 along with registration. This is non-refundable unless the workshop is canceled for any reason.
Payment can be by Paypal to andyrossagency@hotmail.com or by personal check to Andy Ross, 767 Santa Ray Avenue, Oakland, Ca. 94610.
For more information and to register, contact Andy Ross at andyrossagency@hotmail.comTags: andy ross, andy ross agency, austin, narrative voice, susan sutliff brown, writing intensive, writing workshop