the muse & the marketplace 2010

event workshops

Session "Tracks"

The Muse and the Marketplace conference includes many cool session options, and it may be hard to decide which path to take through the weekend. We have organized the conference to suit various "tracks," so here are some suggestions:

The Non-Fiction Track
Designed for writers focusing on Non-Fiction. SATURDAY: 1K (Writing the Non-Fiction Book Proposal); 2C (Ann Hood, "Joy of Revision"); 3D (Michael Downing, "1st-Person Narration"); Saturday Hour of Power on Legal Rights and Liabilities. SUNDAY: 4K ("Agents on the Hot Seat" Panel- Non-Fiction Focus), 5D (Jennifer 8 Lee, "Being Your Own Book Publicist"); 6A (Ben Percy, "Rhyming Action") and Hour of Power on Query Letters

The Memoir Track
Designed for writers focusing on writing and publishing in the memoir/personal essay genre. SATURDAY: 1D (Janna Malamud Smith, "Privacy"); 2D (Susan Tiberghien, "Memoir: a Window"); 3H (Art of the Query Letter); Saturday Hour of Power "Author Idol." SUNDAY: 4D (Donovan Campbell, "What I Wish I'd Known"); 5G (Gilsdorf, "Style"); 6G (Seaton, "Structure")

The Commercial Track
Designed for writers focusing on more commercial fiction and/or building a wide audience. SATURDAY: 1C (Brunonia Barry, "Place"); 2E (Steve Almond, "Self-Publishing") or 2F (Lynne Barrett, "Plot, Part I"); 3C (Allison Winn Scotch, "High Concept Fiction"); Saturday Hour of Power "Author Idol"; SUNDAY: 4H (Agents on the Hot Seat: Fiction Focus); 5H (Writers in the Digital Age); 6C (Katherine Howe, "Research")

The Plot Track
Designed for writers who want to focus on giving their fiction or non-fiction a stronger sense of plot. SATURDAY: 1H ("Glossary"); 2A (Jessica Shattuck, "Drive") or 2F (Lynne Barrett, "Understanding Plot, Part I"); 3F (Lynne Barrett, Plot Part II); Saturday Hour of Power: "Jumpstart Your Writing". SUNDAY: 4C (Hallie Ephron, "Suspense"); 5A (Victor Lavalle, "Nothing Happened"); 6E (Joe Olshan, "Big Scene") or 6G (Michelle Seaton, "Structure"); Sunday Hour of Power "Judges Table"

The Character Track
Designed for writers who want to whip their characters into shape. SATURDAY: 1F (Thomas Mallon, "Faking the Real") or 1G (Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, "Essentials of Character); 2K ("Literary Idol"); 3B (Nathaniel Rich, "Demons") Saturday Hour of Power "Jumpstart Your Writing". SUNDAY: 4A (Tova Mirvis, "Do I Know You?"); 5F (Martha Southgate, "Go There"); 6E (Joe Olshan, "Big Scene); Sunday Hour of Power "Guided Open Mic" or "Judges Table".

The Kid Track (Sunday Only).
Designed for writers interested in Young Adult or Children's Writing. SUNDAY: 4B (Liza Ketchum, "World-Building"); 5B (Regina Brooks, "Rules"); 6B (Leslea Newman, "I Love It, But..."); Sunday Hour of Power "Art of the Query Letter"

The Craft Track
Designed for writers interested in learning or improving the craft of literary fiction. SATURDAY: 1A (Maud Casey, "Images"); 2B (Strout, "My Way"); 3A (Medina, "Fiction Wild"); Saturday Hour of Power "Submitting Your Work" or "Author Idol"; SUNDAY: 4A (Mirvis, "Characters") or 4E (Graver, "Time"); 5A (Lavalle, "Nothing Happened") or 5E (McIntyre, "Dialogue"); 6A (Percy, "Rhyming"); Sunday Hour of Power "Where Do I Go From Here?"

The Sampler Track
Designed for writers looking for inspiration, new ideas and a range of possibilities. SATURDAY: 1E (Steve Almond, "Caged Writer") or 1F (Thomas Mallon, "Faking the Real"); 2H (Writers in the Digital Age); 3E (Anita Shreve, "Stuck?"); Saturday Hour of Power "Guided Open Mic". SUNDAY: 4C (Hallie Ephron, "Suspense"); 5F (Martha Southgate, "Go There"); 6B (Leslea Newman, "Author/Editor Tango"); Sunday Hour of Power "Judges Table" or "The Art and Skill of Spiritual Writing".

The Marketplace-Only Track
Designed for writers who have a book to sell or promote and are interested purely in the publishing side of the writer's life. SATURDAY: 1H ("A Glossary for Publishing"); 2H ("Writers in the Digital Age"); 3H ("Query Letter") or 3K ("Promotion & Publicity"); Saturday Hour of Power "Know Your Rights!". SUNDAY: 4H or 4K ("Agents on the Hot Seat, Fiction or Non-Fiction Focus); 5D (Lee, "Publicist") or 5K ("Literary Idol"); 6H ("Follow Me"); Sunday Hour of Power "Taxes and Accounting" or "Guided Open Mic".