Past Events 2017

Celebrate our 35th anniversary at our annual holiday party

 in Party / PastEvent17


Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Celebrating 35 years of our writer’s group with this year’s holiday party at the Biltmore

We will put our writing aside as scribes and guests socialize downtown at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel! 

Frescos, murals, embroidered tapestries, carved marble fountains and columns, lead crystal chandeliers, cast bronze stairwells and doorways — and history. The Biltmore, designated as a California historic-cultural landmark in 1969, is centrally located in downtown Los Angeles across the street from Pershing Square and is all this and more.

You’ll get to meet our Board of Directors, network, schmooze, have a lavish dinner, win prizes, and more.

Greg Miller

Writing in Teams — Collaborations

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, November 20, 2017

IWOSC’s veteran comedy expert and acting coach GREG MILLER leads us in exploring of how to mix the business of writing with the pleasures of friendship.

Being a writer is often stereotyped as a lonely profession — the ultimate in self-employment,” working from home alone in front of the keyboard. And at times it can be just that. But some of the most successful writers out there work together in teams — from ghostwriters and “written with” authors and their clients, to comedy teams working on screenplays and TV scripts, to husband-and-wife teams (or boyfriends/girlfriends, gay couples, or longtime best friends for that matter) who find themselves as partners 24-7, both on and off the job.

In our final IWOSC 2017 panel, we look at what keeps a writing team together (and what can drive them apart), group and power/control dynamics, appropriate “boundary” issues, and how to find the “write” person and team up successfully to hopefully double your chances of success — plus much more.

Moderator: Greg Miller

[To read more, click the title!]

Self-Publishing with BookBaby

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar

Seminar
TUESDAY, November 14, 2017

A special telephone seminar

Steven Spatz, president of BookBaby, will share with his audience of essayists, novelists, editors, book designers, authors of all genres, and self-publishers, information on topics of vital interest to book producers and writers, including…

Presented by: Steven Spatz

[To read more, click the title!]

Magazine, E-zine, and Newspaper Editors

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, October 30, 2017  

Writers, do you know that Los Angeles (especially Hollywood and Beverly Hills) is a hotbed of magazine publishing? But the magazines published here don’t always make it easy to for freelance writers to contribute. In fact, they can be downright secretive about their article submission processes!

At IWOSC’s Magazine, Ezine, and Newspaper Editors Panel, top editors – including one from the Los Angeles Times – will share secrets with writers about breaking into their publications. The editors will tell writers how to get their attention, which departments are most actively looking for fresh article ideas, and how freelance writers can contact them. They’ll even suggest hot upcoming topics for writers to focus on!

All this and more.

Panelists:
Jennifer Purdie
Gina M. Salvati
Chris Erskine

Moderator:
Telly Davidson

[To read more, click the title!]

Overcoming Gender and Racial Bias in Publishing and Hollywood

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar

Seminar
Saturday, October 21, 2017 

In this seminar for writers and others in publishing and Hollywood, we will explore the dynamics of gender and racial discrimination that writers face in publishing and in show business. Whether you are a journalist, scriptwriter, copywriter, editor, songwriter, script doctor, or any other type of writer, join us as we discuss discrimination: how to spot it, how to handle it, how to “lean in” and push back against it, and how to work around it.

For a time, it appeared that sexism, homophobia, and racism directed at writers were things of the past in “tolerant, liberal” New York publishing and the world of showbiz. But it appears that change was only cosmetic. Discrimination persists, but has become more coded than it was in the days of Madmen. The same problems that writers faced back then have been lurking under the surface all along.

To get at how writers can fight back or find a way around this issue, we will be discussing topics like…

[To read more, click the title!]

Writers panel: how to write self-help books

Writing-how-to-self-help

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, September 25, 2017 

Writers, got knowledge? Great! The trick is to share it and get paid for it. Our panel of experts and authors will give you the how-to on how-to books.

For authors, that means writing up all your advice, tips, hacks. and instructions, putting it into a manuscript and preparing it for publication.

Start your engines. What have you got, and what can you publish? Almost any topic can be successfully turned into a book…

Moderator: Robin Quinn
Debra Eckerling
Rebecca Cooper
Steve Hutson
Jennifer Purdie
Marilyn Anderson

[To read more, click the title!]

Legal issues for writers 101

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar

Seminar
Saturday, September 23, 2017 

What do writers need to know about contracts? Or Intellectual Property? How about collaborations between authors? Turns out, there’s a lot of legal issues that writers and self-publishers should be aware of.

How can writers avoid the pitfalls of intellectual property theft, frivolous libel and plagiarism lawsuits, scam literary agents, too-good-to-be-true offers, contract loopholes, and how can authors avoid being cheated out of their money when writing a book, screenplay/play, or TV format? And what new traps are out there in cyberspace and online writing that writers need to be aware of?

Presented by:
Dan Laidman
Dana Newman
Workshop Coordinator: Telly Davidson

[To read more, click the title!]

Dana Newman

IWOSC Reads Its Own – August 2017

 in PastEvent17 / Reads

Twice a year, a dozen or so members get together at a local bookstore and regal fellow writers and the public with some of their writing.

Our readers:
Craig Leener
Gerald Everett Jones
Lisa-Catherine Cohen
Madeline Sharples
G.L. Helm
Sylvia Cary
Neil Yuzuk
Kathryn Rishoff
Valente Alarcon
Bo Kim
Dan Lavery

Flo Selfman

[To read more, click the title!]

Jump Start Book Writing Project

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar

Seminar
Saturday, June 17, 2017

Have you been thinking about writing a book?
Wondering where to start?
Or, have you started, but feel unclear about how to organize your writing?
Looking for ideas to make your book a better read?

Now’s the time to get feedback and ideas for moving ahead!

In this workshop…

Presented by: Ina Hillebrandt

[To read more, click the title!]

Comedy Writing (and Wronging)

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, June 26, 2017

Dying is easy, comedy is hard – but this panel might just make it a little easier.

We’ll discuss multiple comic styles and comedy formats (TV, standup, essay, etc.), how to get more laughs, lighten up, and create comedy on a structural level with topics including: …

Moderator: Greg Miller
Laura Hayden
Jack Moore
Carrie Snow
Steve Kaplan

[To read more, click the title!]

2017 IWOSC Agents Panel for writers

Annual Literary Agents Panel

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, May 22, 2017

For writers, the decision about getting an agent is critical. The publishing marketplace changes constantly. The right literary agent can be an author’s advocate, fighting for the writer en route to traditional publishing. Agents are also a writer’s partner and guide, pointing authors and screenwriters to editors, publicists, and the right publishing house or producer.

Each April, following the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, IWOSC assembles a panel of Southern California agents — including an agent representing screenplays for film or TV. These agents will give us, the writers, a look at the publishing world of 2017.

They will tell us:

Moderator: Telly Davidson
Sara Nestor, Verve — a talent and literary agency
Charlotte Gusay, The Charlotte Gusay Literary Agency
Steve Hutson, WordWise Media Services

[To read more, click the title!]

How to Write Query Letters & Proposals

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar

Seminar How to Write Query Letters & Proposals Saturday, May 20, 2017 10:30 am – 1:00 p.m.   How do you get published in “mainstream” publishing? If your story is fiction, get your backside in a chair and write it. If it’s nonfiction, the first and most critical step is creating a proposal. When you have a proposal, when your novel is in final manuscript, you will need an irresistible query letter that will convince an agent to represent you. Only literary agents have the contacts to get your work seen and read by editors in publishing houses. But how to […]

Monica Faulkner

Brainstorming Session for Writers

 in Panel / PastEvent17

Panel
Monday, April 24, 2017

If you have an issue that pertains to you specifically (need help editing, social media issues, internet issues, want suggestions for a cover illustrator, etc.) this is the place to discuss it.

Some of our Board members will be in attendance, plus many of your fellow writers.

We are confident that we can address your personal concerns.

[To read more, click the title!]

Learn about the New Print on Demand Publishing Service from Amazon Kindle Direct!

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar  tagged Kindle

Seminar
Thursday, April 20, 2017

For April we present a special event: a phone-in seminar in conjunction with The Publishers Association of Los Angeles (PALA) — on a THURSDAY EVENING rather than a Saturday morning. We save you a trip to Culver City, enabling you to learn with us from the comfort of your own home — and for a special lower price!

Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is rolling out a new program that offers self-publishers and indie authors the opportunity to publish print on demand paperbacks through Kindle, along with publishing their eBooks.

In this telephone seminar, Daniel Slater, Principal, Independent Publishing, Kindle Global Content, will present an overview of what making your POD paperback available from KDP entails, including publishing specifics, economics. etc.

Presented by: Daniel Slater, Principal, Independent Publishing, Kindle Global Content

[To read more, click the title!]

Writing Culture

 in Panel / PastEvent17  tagged bloggers / cinema / critics / essays / novels / reviewers

Panel
Monday, March 27, 2017

Here’s a question that perplexes every writer, no matter their genre:
What Do Critics Want?

How does a book writer, novelist, screenwriter, or filmmaker get noticed by professional critics and bloggers – especially if the author is published by a small press, or is self-published, or is an “indie” filmmaker?

If a screenwriter or book author is lucky enough to make a film deal, there are further questions. With hundreds of film festivals around the globe and hundreds of channels of content on TV (let alone the internet), what determines whether a TV show or movie is one of the best – or one of the rest?

And we’ll throw in another angle: writing criticism yourself.

Justin Chang

Tim Cogshell

Janice Rhoshalle Littlejohn

Debra Levine

Moderator:
TELLY DAVIDSON

[To read more, click the title!]

March 18 2017 IWOSC Nonfiction Panel, our speakers pose for us.

Nonfiction Writing Seminar

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar  tagged Non-Fiction

Seminar
Saturday, March 18, 2017

This month we’re diverging from our usual one-person seminar and hosting an intimate panel of sorts for our seminar.

Our experts will cover many aspects of writing non-fiction prose including…

Presented by: Marc Weingarten and Kelly Carlin with Greg Miller

[To read more, click the title!]

Science Fiction and Fantasy: Writing the Future and Alternate Realities

 in Panel / PastEvent17  tagged Fantasy / Science Fiction

Panel
Monday, February 27, 2017

Award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors discuss science fiction and fantasy writing.

Topics covered on this panel for writers include:
worldbuilding and constructing alternate realities
genre bias in publishing
the explosion of Young Adult fiction
women and diversity in speculative fiction
writing dystopian books in the age of Trumpism
how to translate books into film and TV

The panel will also cover practical tips for writing speculative fiction and an insider’s perspective on the state of the publishing industry, especially as it pertains to Science Fiction and Fantasy (SFF) writing.

Moderator: Jennifer Brody
Tobie Easton
Elizabeth Briggs
Romina Russell
Nicole Maggi

[To read more, click the title!]

A rewrite page

Rewriting your writing

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar  tagged editing / edits / revisions / rewrite / rewriting / work / writing

Seminar
Saturday, February 25, 2017

Finishing a draft of a book or script is an awesome accomplishment – but we all know that at least one more set of revisions will certainly follow, because you probably won’t get it totally right on the first or second draft.

Assessment of a draft and deciding what to emphasize or cut in the next draft is a very delicate stage of the process.

Now you’re not just invested in the project, you’re immersed in it.

This seminar will cover methods and principles that you can apply to books, scripts, memoir, personal essays, speeches, storytelling, etc.

Presented by: Greg Miller and Ina Hillebrandt

[To read more, click the title!]

Method Writing: An Organic Approach to Writing

 in PastEvent17 / Seminar / Uncategorized

Seminar
Saturday, January 21, 2017

Presented by: Jack and Josh Grapes

“Method Writing” is an organic approach to writing, much as method acting is an organic approach to acting, stressing inner process and deep voice. “Method Writing” consists of various concepts that take the writer through techniques designed to make the writing more compelling and more effective, publishable and productive.

Back by popular demand, Jack Grapes will present this overview of the writer’s creative process, focusing on his book “Method Writing,” a technique he’s developed and used in his writing workshops over the last 35 years.

Jack will discuss the nature of the creative process, and how that applies to “Method Writing.” So bring something to write on: paper and pen, parchment and quill, stone and chisel — whatever works.

[To read more, click the title!]

Jennifer Brody

Writers and Websites in 2017

 in Panel / PastEvent17  tagged social media / website

Panel
Monday, January 30, 2017

Does your website attract new readers?
Keep your fans happy?
Sell your books?
(Do you even have a website?)

With all this social media, does a writer really need their own website? And if you have one, what should you be doing with it nearly 20 years into the new millennium? So much has changed so fast; what should you be doing today?

 

Do you have any of these questions…

Moderator: Greg Miller
Deborah Shadovitz
Jennifer Brody
Steven Sanchez

[To read more, click the title!]

IWOSC Reads Its Own – January 2017

 in PastEvent17 / Reads

Twice a year, a dozen or so members get together at a local book store and regal fellow writers and the public with some of their writing.

Readers this time were:
Christy Wilhelm
Stefanie Stolinsky
Herbie J Pilato
Chuck N. Baker
Bert Wouters
Janiss Garza
Jim Caccavo
G. L. Helm
Wanda Maureen Miller
Pamela Tartaglio
Sue Zeidler
Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin
Lisa Verlo
Ginger Pennington
Ruth Frechman