Spring 2008 Workshops at Writers & Books

Business

Basics of Proofreading and Editing

WA8-B06
2 Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m.
Apr. 8 through 15
$45 W&B members / $52 general public
Instructor: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Learn the essentials of proofreading and editing, including marks and symbols, essential style manuals, using Microsoft Word as an editing tool, and working effectively with clients and colleagues, as well as helpful organizational resources. Ruth E. Thaler-Carter brings more than 25 years of experience as a freelance writer and editor to this essential nuts ‘n’ bolts class.

Register Online

Getting Started as a Freelance Writer

WA8-B07
2 Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m.
Apr. 22 through 29
$45 W&B members / $52 general public
Instructor: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

You need more than writing skills and a computer to be a successful freelancer. You also need business sense, knowledge of the market, and a firm grasp of the tricks of the trade. Ruth E. Thaler-Carter will share her 25-plus years of experience in this tough but highly rewarding arena, working from her booklet, Get Paid to Write! Getting Started as a Freelance Writer.

Register Online

Digital Rhetoric

WA8-B04
4 Tuesdays, 7:30–8:30 a.m.
Mar. 25 through Apr. 15
$72
Instructor: Mary Anne Donovan

Writing for websites is a different beast than writing copy for typical marketing materials. For example: you have just 7 seconds to catch your reader’s attention before he clicks off to ride the next Internet wave. Moreover, writing for the search engines is an art and science with its own set of guidelines. In this course you’ll learn the techniques and nuances for writing compelling, search-engine-savvy website copy.  You’ll be able to demonstrate your own ability to apply the concepts of digital rhetoric when writing for websites, blogs, ezines, email newsletters, and more.

Register Online

The Poetry Publishing Fast Track

SA8-B01
1 Saturday, 10 a.m. –noon
May 17           
$20 W&B members / $25 general public
Instructor: Gary Lehmann

Want to learn how to publish your poetry in American journals as well as overseas? Gary Lehman, who has published hundreds of poems in journals all over the world will teach this one-day seminar to tell you his secrets. Detailed information will explain how to organize your desk for quick submissions, how to find web lists that will tell you when editors are open to new submissions, and what exactly to send each editor.

Register Online

Query Letters That Open Doors

SA8-B02
1 Saturday, 10 a.m.–noon                        [ONE DAY]
May 3
$32 W&B members / $37 general public
Instructor: Judith Lemoncelli

Your skill at writing succinct and compelling query letters may mean the difference between a busy writing life and one of languishing at your word processor. How do freelancers break in and get those magazine assignments? How do first-time novelists grab the attention of agents? The answer to both questions: by sending well-honed queries to the right person. In this interactive workshop Judith Lemoncelli shows you how to write queries that open doors!

Register Online

The Synopsis:Telling It All, Telling It Right

SA8-B03
1 Saturday, 10-12
May 24
$32 W&B members / $37 general public
Instructor: Judith Lemoncelli

How important is it to have a one, two, or ten-page synopsis at the ready? Many agents and editors request this important "tell-all" along with your query letter.  Are you prepared?  Judith Lemoncelli shows you how to craft a sparking, succinct synopsis in any format that will move your query fast and forward.

Register Online

Making "Word" Work for You
Special seminar Co-sponsored with Communication Central

Thursday, May 15, 2-5 p.m.
Friday, May 16, 9 a.m.-12 noon; 2-5 p.m. (lunch available)
W&B members: $72/$126/$180, depending on sessions attended.
Nonmembers: $80/$140/$200, depending on sessions attended
(for details and registration form, go to. www.communication-central.com. or call 585-248-8464. Do not call Writers & Books.)

Microsoft Word is the tool of choice for most writing tasks. This special seminar, in conjunction with Communication Central, will give you the hands-on skills you need to make Word work for you, rather than make you crazy!

Instructor Hilary Powers (www.powersedit.com) is the author of Making Word Work for You: An Editor’s Intro to the Tool of the Trade (2007, Editorial Freelancers Association) and a nationally known expert on using Word.

Session I (Thursday 2-5 p.m., May 15): Workspace Optimization

Reduce the time and effort involved in creating and editing Microsoft Word documents by customizing your working environment. Learn to adjust settings and options for both your computer’s operating system and the Microsoft Word application. Powers’s emphasis will be on Windows XP and Word 2003; Communication Central staff will help attendees using Macs (OS X Tiger and Word 2004).

Refreshments will be available at the beginning of the session.

Session II (Friday 9 am-noon, May 16): Word Practicum

Practice what you’ve learned in Session I (or in a previous Powers workshop). Staff will help you resolve any issues in customizing your workspace, in preparation for the advanced topics in Session III.

Continental breakfast will be available before the session. Lunch will be provided for attendees registered for both Session II and III.

Session III (Friday 2-5 p.m., May 16): Advanced Topics in Microsoft Word

Want to finish your Word projects faster? Need to improve consistency on a multi-author or multi-editor project? Learn to design and use styles, templates and macros to efficiently accomplish routine tasks so Word can do half the work for you.

Note:  Attendance at Session I and/or II is required before taking Session III, unless you have attended a previous Powers workshop. Please bring your own laptop.

This special seminar is a great opportunity to take control over Word and make your writing life – whether at the office or in your personal efforts – more productive and far less frustrating.

Attendance is limited to 20 participants. Writers and Books members receive a discount on registration. Registration is managed by Communication Central. Contact Communication Central at (585) 248-8464 with any questions. To register, go to www.communication-central.com.

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