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2018 Chesapeake Writing Workshop

Category: /Notes/

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Crystal Gateway Marriott Arlington, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington Virginia 22202. 703-920-3230

Michael J. Sullivan - 2:50PM

Schedule and Notes

8:30 – 9:30: Check-in and registration.

BLOCK ONE: 9:30 – 10:30
1. A Bird’s-eye View of Publishing and Books in the Year 2018 (Salons A-B) Tony
2. Developing Compelling Characters (Salon C)
3. How to Make Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction a Reality (Salons D-E) Anthony

BLOCK TWO: 10:45 – 11:50
1. How to Query a Literary Agent (Salons A-B) Tony
2. Tips on How to Write Like the Pros (Salon C) Anthony
3. Tips for Writing Great Mysteries, Thrillers, and Crime (Salons D-E)

LUNCH ON YOUR OWN: 11:50 – 1:15

BLOCK THREE: 1:15 – 2:30
1. “Writers Got Talent”—a Page 1 Critique Fest (Salons A-B) Anthony
2. Writing for the Little Ones: How to Craft an Amazing Picture Book For Kids (Salon C)
3. How to Sell a Nonfiction Book (Salons D-E) Tony

BLOCK FOUR: 2:45 – 3:45 (Appt at 2:50)
1. Twenty Questions You Need Answered Before You Seek an Agent or Self-Publish Your Book (Salons A-B) Tony
2. The Secrets to Self-Publishing Success (Salon C)
3. Keys to Writing Great Young Adult & Middle Grade Fiction (Salons D-E) Anthony

BLOCK FIVE: 4:00 – 5:00
1. Twenty Questions You Need Answered After You Seek an Agent or Self-Publish Your Book (Salons A-B)
2. Sell Your Books and Yourself — Social Media and Book Marketing 101 (Salon C) Both
3. A Guided Tour of the Elements of Writing Romance – Hands-on Plotting at High Speed (Salons D-E)

Misc
NOTE: The pitch and critique schedule is still coming and will be sent by later tonight, so be on the lookout for that as well.

https://chesapeakewritingworkshops.com/

Thanks again for being part of this event. In this e-mail, all your questions should be answered. I urge you to take a few minutes now/soon and read it completely to understand everything you need to know about the day. Feel free to print this info out to keep on hand for the day of the event. (If you were in charge of signing up both yourself and someone else, that means I may not have their email. Please forward this information to them just to be safe.)

We are still taking signups: We we able to secure additional seats for the event, so we will be taking registrations all week long and even at the door, so feel free to pass on word to writer friends and writing groups. Thank you for any last-minute promotion you do.

When to arrive: Aim to arrive between 8:30 and 9:15 a.m. All registrants will get processed and enter the session rooms. You will get a name badge and a folder. The pitching schedule will be on the table, and that is a last-minute chance for you to review when you pitch.

Where to park: The Crystal Gateway Marriott Arlington has a pay parking lot for $37. The hotel management said there is also another lot close at the Crystal City Shops, which is connected to the hotel by a hallway. Management told us that if you park in that lot early in the day and don't leave until after 4 pm, then parking is free. (If you leave before 4 pm, there is a charge). We didn't confirm this with the lot, so you'll want to check ahead of time you aren't familiar with the area/hotel.

Location specifics: All our meeting rooms are in the same area of the hotel. Just follow the signs or ask at the front desk for guidance once at the hotel.

Our classes happen in the Salons A-B, Salons D-E, and Salon C.

Pitches and critique meetings will happen at tables in the open Skyview area.

The workshop rooms: Please do not fill up empty seats in any room with a bag/coat/other until after a session starts. This is to make sure everyone can sit where they like. Help people find seats and sit down.

Come and go as you please: You do not have to sign up for specific sessions in advance. Come and go as you please into sessions and your assigned pitches.

Handouts: Most every session has a one-page handout for you, and you can find those as you enter into the session room before a class. Simply take one.

Dress code: Wear whatever you like. There is no dress code. Most people choose casual or business casual. Be comfy!

Coffee: There are water stations at the event, but no coffee. If you have a hardcore need for the bean, please hit someplace on the way in. We have been told there is a coffee machine in the hotel lobby, but it is limited, and a Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts in the Crystal City Shops that's next door.

What else to bring: You should bring business cards for passing to peers, or in case an agent wants one. Besides that, bring a pad and pen. Staffers will be passing out folders to everyone. Feel free to bring a laptop if you wish.

Bringing work for “Writers’ Got Talent”: If you want to submit your work for consideration of the “Writers’ Got Talent” panel, the most important thing to bring with you is 8 copies of your manuscript’s first double-spaced page. (No names please! These should be anonymous. The only info to give on your first page is the GENRE.) What will happen is all interested writers can hand their pages to a workshop staffer as they check in. During the panel’s limited time, submissions will be chosen at random. This means we will get to plenty of submissions, but certainly not all of them. We will get to as many as we have time for. The agents hear the first page read aloud and offer any quick thoughts on what they liked or did not like about the writing. (You bring multiple copies so they can read the work as it is read aloud to the entire room.) Again, this is all done anonymously, so make sure your name is not on the work (but your genre is), and make sure you bring 11 copies of your first page (normal margins & 12-pt font, double-spaced, as usual). Note: No picture books or short stories or poetry, please. This panel is solely for book-length manuscripts of fiction, memoir, and creative/narrative nonfiction. Only 1 submission per attendee, please.

What NOT to bring: Do not bring your entire printed manuscript. If an agent or editor likes what you’re writing & pitching, they will request that you e-mail material to them. [NOTE: Unless it's a picture book. They you may bring the manuscript.]

Wi-fi: There is no wi-fi in the meeting rooms. Plan accordingly.

Class schedule: The entire class schedule is online at the official workshop website:

https://chesapeakewritingworkshops.com/schedule-2018-workshop/

Note that it is now updated with the names of each room that each session will be in.

Book sales: We will be hosting our on bookstore onsite selling the books of our presenters, and other writing reference books. Please support our faculty by considering purchasing their books.

Buy a pitch? We will be sending out the pitch schedule later tonight. You will see that some attending agents and editors have openings. You can purchase these openings for $29 a piece. You can pay by PayPal or Credit Card in advance, or by check/cash at registration. But let us know ASAP if you're interested in an open slot, as the go first come, first serve.

How pitching and critique meetings work: If you paid extra for a pitching session (or many) or manuscript critique meeting, those 10-minute meetings will be happening all throughout the day at tables in the open Skyview area. Pitching schedules will be available at the registration desk the morning of, and beforehand over email. (I will soon send this out. Let me know if you need it again or have confusion about your times.) Attendees will simply get up from their seat when it's their time and head outside for their meeting, then return into the session at any time.

Again, all pitches (and critique meetings) are happening at tables in the open Skyview area.

Critiques -- what to expect: If you bought a critique of your first 10 pages, you will meet for 10 minutes with your faculty member to discuss the work. They will explain their major critique thoughts to you in this short one-on-one. They will have already reviewed your work. Some may pass you pages or materials and others may not. I have given all critiquing faculty members up to one week after the event to email me their final formal critique of your work, and we will pass it to you. If for some reason you have bought a critique but not sent in your pages yet, please send them here, attached, immediately.

Buy a critique? It is now too late to purchase a new query critique or manuscript critique. If you are interested in getting one after the workshop, email us at any time and we can let you know if the option is still available.

How pitch alternates work: Some of you are on the pitch schedules as alternates for sold out agents. If you are an alternate and do NOT get assigned a formal time slot during the day, please just email us afterward and let us know, and we will make sure you get that $29 refunded in full.

How lunch works: Lunch is on your own from 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. I highly suggest you have an idea as to what you plan to do that day for lunch. This is because walking and parking and ordering, etc., all takes time. If you want to eat at a sit-down place, make sure you have enough time. There are several eateries at the Crystal City Shops next to the hotel. The hotel does have an onsite restaurant, but we have been warned by the hotel staff that if our large group of attendees all hit this location at once, the kitchens will be overwhelmed. Understand this possible slowdown if you want to eat at the hotel.

Twitter hashtag: If you want to tweet about the event at any time, use the hashtag #chesaww. One thing writers do to make the workshop more valuable is to mention their specific area/location when using the hashtag. This helps them meet other nearby writers—such as “I’m interested in meeting other writers who live in/near Arlington #chesaww.” If you take pictures of any sessions, please share them on Twitter.

Query critiques: If you paid extra for Brian Klems to critique your query, Brian aims to have all query critiques back to registrants by late night Thursday, July 26, 2018, for you to review before pitching.

Hang out afterward: I encourage you to schmooze with each other after the event. Make some writing friends. Find a nearby bar and have a drink/chat after the event.

Any other questions? Email me here, naturally. Good luck at the event, and have fun!

This event: This workshop is organized by Writing Day Workshops, an independent organization. Get to know us by checking out our website. As is tradition with our workshops, we are happy to have administrative help during the day from local writing groups. Please be sure to thank them for their help.

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