I told you earlier that the info would be posted on the main site first, but I couldn't keep it to myself any longer. Here are some, JUST some, of the wonderful items that have been donated by faculty.
1. Barbara Poelle – Query letter, first three chapters and synopsis
2. Pam Ahearn – Partial manuscript (First three chapters)
3. Chuck Sambuchino – 100-page critique
4. Jeff Kleinmann – 75-page critique
5. Nikki Poppen – Full manuscript critique
6. Rochelle Bailey – Critique of YA manuscript
7. Jim Casada – A manuscript critique
8. Jim McCarthy – 50-page critique
9. Joanna Stampfel-Volpe – 50-page critique
10. Scott Eagan – Critique of First three chapters and synopsis
11. Karen Syed – Critique
The hard and fast rules will be posted on the silent auction bid sheets on the tables. Some faculty members will have specific requirements so be sure to read the sheets before you bid.
MAN OH MAN! What an incredible list.
Please remember to thank faculty members for their generous donations to our Silent Auction. They receive NO PROCEEDS from their item(s). They donate time and energy to helping you better your craft and in the meantime keep the conference affordable for all of us. They are not required in any way to donate. They're doing it because they're nice people, they have passion for the industry and they want to help us become better writers.
Thanks to everyone who's donating something. We really appreciate your commitment to the conference and the craft.
Showing posts with label faculty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faculty. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Harping: Not the Celestial Kind
At the risk of sounding like your mother, or worse a screeching harpy, I cannot impress upon you the importance of knowing your genre and selecting an appropriate faculty member for your critique.
There are several reasons this is VERY IMPORTANT.
1. Someone who does not know your genre cannot give you the best feedback. Translation: You are wasting your money if you select a faculty member who doesn't want to read, represent or publish your type of manuscript.
2. If you select an inappropriate faculty member, you run the risk of really ticking them off. Why does it matter? Say you're writing romance now and you select someone who represents mostly non-fiction. In two or three years, you may write a book that's non-fiction. And guess what? You've burned that bridge. Translation: People in this business have long memories. If you tick someone off by forcing them to read something they don't want to read, they won't look favorably on subsequent submissions.
3. The myth that if the writing is good enough ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would kill for the chance to represent or publish it is exactly that: A MYTH. Even if you're the next Hemingway or Faulkner, you shouldn't bank on the strength of your writing to persuade someone to ADORE your genre. Translation: Your book has to be well-written and well-represented. You want the agent you sign with to be ga-ga over your work. Forcing them to like it is not an option.
4. Publishing is a business. You want someone who's a good fit for your work to read, represent or publish it. Translation: You will be more successful if you don't try to cut corners, get an agent, editor and publisher who's right for your work. You will make more money and get more exposure this way.
In summary, do your homework. Make sure the person(s) you select for critique are appropriate and willing to read your genre.
There are several reasons this is VERY IMPORTANT.
1. Someone who does not know your genre cannot give you the best feedback. Translation: You are wasting your money if you select a faculty member who doesn't want to read, represent or publish your type of manuscript.
2. If you select an inappropriate faculty member, you run the risk of really ticking them off. Why does it matter? Say you're writing romance now and you select someone who represents mostly non-fiction. In two or three years, you may write a book that's non-fiction. And guess what? You've burned that bridge. Translation: People in this business have long memories. If you tick someone off by forcing them to read something they don't want to read, they won't look favorably on subsequent submissions.
3. The myth that if the writing is good enough ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would kill for the chance to represent or publish it is exactly that: A MYTH. Even if you're the next Hemingway or Faulkner, you shouldn't bank on the strength of your writing to persuade someone to ADORE your genre. Translation: Your book has to be well-written and well-represented. You want the agent you sign with to be ga-ga over your work. Forcing them to like it is not an option.
4. Publishing is a business. You want someone who's a good fit for your work to read, represent or publish it. Translation: You will be more successful if you don't try to cut corners, get an agent, editor and publisher who's right for your work. You will make more money and get more exposure this way.
In summary, do your homework. Make sure the person(s) you select for critique are appropriate and willing to read your genre.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Conference FAQs: Take 2
We've been getting some new questions lately so I thought it was a good time to stop and answer a few.
Q. I don't see pitch sessions or critiques on the schedule. When will they take place?
A. Pitch and critique sessions will be scheduled based on the faculty member's teaching schedule. When you arrive and check in at the registration desk, you will be given a card listing your appointment time. They will be going on throughout the conference, beginning on Saturday morning.
Q. When will I find out who my critique faculty is? When will I find out who my pitch faculty member is?
A. Upon checking-in at the registration desk, you will be given a card with the name of your faculty member and the time you will meet for your critique and or pitch.
Q. What if I don't get any of my choices?
A. We do our best to give each attendee one of their three choices. However, sometimes this is impossible. If we cannot assign you to one of your top three, we will call you, well before the conference, and discuss options with you.
Q. How does the faculty have time for all of the critiques, classes, meals and other time with attendees?
A. Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling. We do our best to make sure each faculty member has time for everything, but sometimes it's a squeeze. Faculty members work the entire time, so please keep the following things in mind. When your critique time is over, please thank the faculty member and move on. Don't take up the next person's time. If you make a connection and get a request, don't 'hog" the faculty member for the rest of the conference. You might wear out your welcome. And please, please, don't do anything creepy like send you manuscript to his or her room, don't stalk at the bar, don't try to hem someone up in the restroom or at the pool. Keep it professional AT ALL TIMES.
Q. What is the best way to pick my critique and pitch people?
A. Check out our website at www.myscww.org/conference and look at all the individual bios. Then google the person and find out what they're selling and what they may be looking for at the present time. Make sure you write what the faculty member sells.
Q. Who do I contact about Carrie McCray?
A. Check out the contacts link on our website. Ms. Kim Blum-Hyclak is in charge of the contest. You can email her using the link on that page.
Q. Who do I call or email if my question hasn't been answered?
A. You can call me, Lateia, at 803-671-1664 or email me at lateia.sandifer@gmail.com. Or you can call Carrie at 706-564-7998. Her email address is mcculloughca@bellsouth.net. Both of us are on the East Coast and we take calls from 9am - 9pm. Please don't call super late or super early. All of our staff members are volunteers so please be patient if it takes a few hours for us to get back to you. We WILL return your calls/emails. If we don't contact you within 72 hours, feel free to call or email again.
Q. I don't see pitch sessions or critiques on the schedule. When will they take place?
A. Pitch and critique sessions will be scheduled based on the faculty member's teaching schedule. When you arrive and check in at the registration desk, you will be given a card listing your appointment time. They will be going on throughout the conference, beginning on Saturday morning.
Q. When will I find out who my critique faculty is? When will I find out who my pitch faculty member is?
A. Upon checking-in at the registration desk, you will be given a card with the name of your faculty member and the time you will meet for your critique and or pitch.
Q. What if I don't get any of my choices?
A. We do our best to give each attendee one of their three choices. However, sometimes this is impossible. If we cannot assign you to one of your top three, we will call you, well before the conference, and discuss options with you.
Q. How does the faculty have time for all of the critiques, classes, meals and other time with attendees?
A. Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling. We do our best to make sure each faculty member has time for everything, but sometimes it's a squeeze. Faculty members work the entire time, so please keep the following things in mind. When your critique time is over, please thank the faculty member and move on. Don't take up the next person's time. If you make a connection and get a request, don't 'hog" the faculty member for the rest of the conference. You might wear out your welcome. And please, please, don't do anything creepy like send you manuscript to his or her room, don't stalk at the bar, don't try to hem someone up in the restroom or at the pool. Keep it professional AT ALL TIMES.
Q. What is the best way to pick my critique and pitch people?
A. Check out our website at www.myscww.org/conference and look at all the individual bios. Then google the person and find out what they're selling and what they may be looking for at the present time. Make sure you write what the faculty member sells.
Q. Who do I contact about Carrie McCray?
A. Check out the contacts link on our website. Ms. Kim Blum-Hyclak is in charge of the contest. You can email her using the link on that page.
Q. Who do I call or email if my question hasn't been answered?
A. You can call me, Lateia, at 803-671-1664 or email me at lateia.sandifer@gmail.com. Or you can call Carrie at 706-564-7998. Her email address is mcculloughca@bellsouth.net. Both of us are on the East Coast and we take calls from 9am - 9pm. Please don't call super late or super early. All of our staff members are volunteers so please be patient if it takes a few hours for us to get back to you. We WILL return your calls/emails. If we don't contact you within 72 hours, feel free to call or email again.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Understanding Conference Lingo
“I’ve decided to register for the conference,” one of the members of my chapter announced at our last meeting.
“Really? What changed your mind?” I asked.
It turns out that she misunderstood a major selling point of our conference, our faculty. Those of us who have participated in the SCWW conference for several years know that the term faculty refers to the agents, editors, authors, and poets that teach the workshops at our conference. This new member thought that faculty meant members of the SCWW organization teaching workshops! Once she realized the difference she got excited about the conference.
Wow!
This made me wonder about other terms that we toss around. This blog has done a great job on explaining pitches, so that’s one area that I don’t think needs explanation, but I thought of a few others. So, I’m going to try and scrape away the jargon and shed light on two other areas.
Proctors: When you register for the conference, one of the questions you’re asked is would you like to proctor. If you don’t know what that means, you probably left the box blank.
I attended my first SCWW conference in 2007, and I agreed to proctor one session. That means that I made sure that the faculty member (remember that’s our agents, editors, authors, and poets) had everything they needed in the workshop room. If a projector didn’t work or the temperature was uncomfortable, I knew who to contact to fix it. The best part of this opportunity is that you meet the faculty member and introduce them at the beginning of the workshop.
Hello? It’s an opportunity to meet someone on faculty in a service capacity. Now don’t let that word “service” throw you. This is one of the BEST ways to connect with a faculty member. If you give them what they need without promoting yourself to them, they often will ask to help you!
That’s what happened to me in 2007. My faculty member had a bad cold and was losing her voice. I knew that she liked hot tea, so I planned a Starbuck’s run (there’s one in the Hilton lobby) prior to her class, had a pack of tissues on hand, and offered her some homeopathic allergy medication. It helped and she found that she could keep her voice strong enough to get through the day. She tracked me down later and gave me her card. Her words to me? “You helped me, so I want to help you.” And she has.
So, if you did not indicate an interest in proctoring (introducing the faculty, making sure the room is set up and comfortable, etc.), you can still contact the conference chair or co-chair to see if they need more proctors.
Slush Fest: We make a big deal about these every year, but if you’ve never attended one, you might not grasp the benefits. Slush Fests are sessions set up by genre and taught by an agent and an editor who represent that genre. Participants bring up to 2 pages of their manuscript on transparency sheets, and the faculty places them on an overhead projector and evaluates the work. This is done anonymously, so no one else knows that your work is onscreen.
There are limits to how many works will be evaluated in a session, but whether yours is or not, you can still learn valuable information. It’s a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on an agent or editor while they get their first look at someone’s manuscript. Imagine the tips you can pick up!
So, I've defined 3 terms: faculty, proctor, and slush fests. Let me know if there are other terms that you find confusing, and I'll see if I can make things clearer for you.
“Really? What changed your mind?” I asked.
It turns out that she misunderstood a major selling point of our conference, our faculty. Those of us who have participated in the SCWW conference for several years know that the term faculty refers to the agents, editors, authors, and poets that teach the workshops at our conference. This new member thought that faculty meant members of the SCWW organization teaching workshops! Once she realized the difference she got excited about the conference.
Wow!
This made me wonder about other terms that we toss around. This blog has done a great job on explaining pitches, so that’s one area that I don’t think needs explanation, but I thought of a few others. So, I’m going to try and scrape away the jargon and shed light on two other areas.
Proctors: When you register for the conference, one of the questions you’re asked is would you like to proctor. If you don’t know what that means, you probably left the box blank.
I attended my first SCWW conference in 2007, and I agreed to proctor one session. That means that I made sure that the faculty member (remember that’s our agents, editors, authors, and poets) had everything they needed in the workshop room. If a projector didn’t work or the temperature was uncomfortable, I knew who to contact to fix it. The best part of this opportunity is that you meet the faculty member and introduce them at the beginning of the workshop.
Hello? It’s an opportunity to meet someone on faculty in a service capacity. Now don’t let that word “service” throw you. This is one of the BEST ways to connect with a faculty member. If you give them what they need without promoting yourself to them, they often will ask to help you!
That’s what happened to me in 2007. My faculty member had a bad cold and was losing her voice. I knew that she liked hot tea, so I planned a Starbuck’s run (there’s one in the Hilton lobby) prior to her class, had a pack of tissues on hand, and offered her some homeopathic allergy medication. It helped and she found that she could keep her voice strong enough to get through the day. She tracked me down later and gave me her card. Her words to me? “You helped me, so I want to help you.” And she has.
So, if you did not indicate an interest in proctoring (introducing the faculty, making sure the room is set up and comfortable, etc.), you can still contact the conference chair or co-chair to see if they need more proctors.
Slush Fest: We make a big deal about these every year, but if you’ve never attended one, you might not grasp the benefits. Slush Fests are sessions set up by genre and taught by an agent and an editor who represent that genre. Participants bring up to 2 pages of their manuscript on transparency sheets, and the faculty places them on an overhead projector and evaluates the work. This is done anonymously, so no one else knows that your work is onscreen.
There are limits to how many works will be evaluated in a session, but whether yours is or not, you can still learn valuable information. It’s a rare opportunity to eavesdrop on an agent or editor while they get their first look at someone’s manuscript. Imagine the tips you can pick up!
So, I've defined 3 terms: faculty, proctor, and slush fests. Let me know if there are other terms that you find confusing, and I'll see if I can make things clearer for you.
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