the writing show

March 2019 Writing Show: Writing a Killer Synopsis

The Writing Show: Writing a Killer Synopsis

You’re ready to start shopping your book to agents – but then you see the terrifying words: “Include a one-page synopsis.”  Why is writing a synopsis so hard? Are you really supposed to give away all your plot twists? How can you capture an agent’s attention and entice them to read more? Our panel has the answers.

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019  NOTE: DATE CHANGE FROM REGULAR SCHEDULE 

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Doors open at 6:00; meet & greet 6:00-6:45; program starts at 6:45)

Location: Firehouse Theatre 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA, 23220

Price: $12 – Members; $15 Non-members ($5 for students)

REGISTER NOW

SPEAKERS

Eric Smith

Eric Smith

Eric Smith is a literary agent with P.S. Literary and a Young Adult author. He\’s worked on award-winning and New York Times bestselling books, and is actively looking for projects across categories and genres, primarily young adult fiction, literary fiction, non-fiction (memoir, cookbooks, pop culture, history), and select sci-fi and fantasy. When he isn\’t busy working on books, he writes his own. His next books include Reclaim the Sun, a novel due out with Inkyard Press in 2020, and a story in Color Outside the Lines, an anthology being published with Soho Teen this November. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, son, and Corgi.

Register for a Master Class: Crafting and Workshopping the Synopsis with Eric Smith on Thursday, March 21, 2019, following The Writing Show. 

 

Lisa Hagan

Lisa Hagan

Lisa Hagan began her literary career in NYC in 1995. She has shepherded many books to the New York Times Bestseller list, among other notable lists. Her clients include scientists, doctors, and experts in their fields of health, groundbreaking science, climate change, and environmental issues. She also represents non-fiction properties such as self-help, spirituality, travel and business titles. She grew up in Richmond, VA.

MODERATOR

Rebekah Pierce

Rebekah Pierce

A veteran of the armed forces, Rebekah Pierce is a member of several local writers\’ groups for both fiction and drama where her work has been widely received and supported. She is a lover of mystery novels that feature protagonists who have their own demons to fight as they save the day, so to speak. She is the author of Murder on Second Street and The Secret Life of Lucy Bosman.

/ , , , /

2019 Writing Show Season Passes available now!

James River Writers is excited to be back at Firehouse Theatre for the 2019 season of The Writing Show. Held the last Wednesday of most months, January through September, (see the March exception below), The Writing Show offers a panel of experts focused on topics geared to help writers with both their craft and navigating the fast-changing business of writing. There are plenty of opportunities for socializing and networking with other central Virginia writers, too. Our fabulous co-chairs this year are Melissa Scott Sinclair and Amanda Sue Creasey.

Buy a Writing Show Season Pass today for you and give one as a present to a writer in your life. With a season pass you can attend all nine shows for $85 (compared to $108 for members and $135 for non-members). Or bundle a season pass with a JRW annual membership, and save even more!

2019 Writing Show Season (*Topics are subject to change):

  • January 30 – Balancing Writing and Life: Inspiration and Practical Strategies
  • February 27 – How to Permanently Banish Writer’s Block
  • March 20 – Writing a Killer Synopsis (Note the date change! This is the THIRD Wednesday, this month only.)
  • April 24 – How to Sell the Heck Out of Your Book
  • May 29 – Making Freelance Writing Financially Rewarding
  • June 26 – Building Relationships with Bookstore Owners and Librarians
  • July 31 – Defining and Finding Your Audience
  • August 28 – I Finished My Book (Poem, Screenplay)—Now What? (Path to Publication Part I)
  • September 25 – People Skills for Writers (Path to Publication Part II)

More information about The Writing Show, including times and location.

/ / , , /

July 2018 Writing Show: The Power of Word Choice

The Power of Word Choice graphicThe choice of a word can make all the difference. The flow of a line or the length of a sentence can alter how a reader experiences an idea, a character, or a twist and turn of a plot. We talk so much about our words, but we don’t always dive into the hows and whys of the choices we make. This month, we’re going to talk about the power of the particulars and how word choice influences style, rhythm, mood, and the total effect of our communications. Ready to make the most out of every sentence? Join us in July for hands-on craft tips and advice from professional wordsmiths, who tackle fiction, journalism, non-fiction, poetry, songwriting, and business communications.

Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Time: 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm (Meet & Greet at 6:00; program starts at 6:45)

Location: Firehouse Theatre 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA, 23220

Price: $12 – Members; $15 Non-members ($5 for students)

REGISTER NOW

SPEAKERS

Lily Garay

Lily Garay

Lily Garay is a creative with a passion for production, singing, and writing. She loves serving her community through artistry and hopes to bring inspiration and hope through her work.

Lydia Nitya Griffith

Lydia Nitya Griffith

Lydia Nitya Griffith has published four books and released a kids yoga DVD. She has been in business for nearly twenty years offering a variety of services from Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui Consultations to a myriad of yoga programs. Lydia’s first book, A Child’s Journey into Yoga, was published in 2014 and takes readers on a journey with a young girl as she learns to grow up living the principles of yoga. In 2015 Lydia created the first Satchidananda Ashram Yogaville Coloring Book to introduce families and children to Yogaville and to the founder and spiritual leader, Sri Swami Satchidananda. This summer, Lydia released her latest book, a true gift for anyone who is a spiritual seeker or lover of yoga, a collection of inspiring newsletter articles from the past eighteen years along with poetry, Musings from the Mat: Inspirations and Poetry.

John Mills

John Mills

John Mills built his reputation on disrupting convention and pushing clients outside of their comfort zones, where he believes great opportunity is waiting. From copywriting and strategic planning to user experience design and new product development, he spent the last twenty years helping brands create emotionally-engaging stories.

John’s client experiences include a wide array of international, national and local brands such as Goldman Sachs, Finlandia, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Discover Card, Oreo, Xfinity, BetterMed Urgent Care, Virginia Commonwealth University and Resort Hotel Association.

Outside of work, John sits on the boards of the RVA Street Art Festival and Trinity Episcopal High School. He also enjoys coaching baseball, basketball and soccer, playing guitar and suffering through an occasional round of golf.

Mary Miley Theobald

Mary Miley Theobald

Mary Miley, historian and author of five mysteries set in the Roaring Twenties, began her fiction career with The Impersonator, winning the Mystery Writers of America Best First Crime Novel award. A graduate of William and Mary, she worked at Colonial Williamsburg and taught history at Virginia Commonwealth University for many years. For getaways, she retreats to her Virginia winery where everything she does would have been illegal during the Prohibition era.

MODERATOR

Kris Spisak

Kris Spisak

With degrees from the College of William & Mary and the University of Richmond, Kris Spisak began her career as a college writing instructor; however, after years in the classroom, she transitioned to professional writing and editing. Helping writers sharpen their craft was the driving force behind her book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), and the creation of her writing program, Grammartopia. Kris is on the JRW board and is also pursuing the publication of her first novel. You can find Kris at kris-spisak.com.

JRW is grateful to O\’Hagan Meyer for their generous support of this month\’s Writing Show. 

OHM_tag_rgb_pos

/ , , /

January Writing Show: A 2018 Creative Plan: Scheduling, Motivating & Organizing Your Writing Life

Making your writing life a reality and meeting your creative goals is sometimes easier said than done, but why shouldn’t 2018 be your year? A realistic plan is all you need, getting both your mental and physical spaces ready. At the first Writing Show of the season, bring your literary resolutions, and get ready for inspiration, organizational ideas, time-management strategies, self-motivation techniques, and instant takeaways.

Online registration is now closed.
Doors open at 6:00 pm tonight.
Seating is first come/first served.

See you at the show!

 

SPEAKERS

Kristina Hamlett

Kristina Hamlett

Kristina Cotis Hamlett is a blogger and a writer. Her work has been published on sites such as kimberlyelse.com, foreverbemoved.com, mitchell-productions.com, lifein10minutes.com, The Churchill Newsletter and was a featured author on the RVA Lit Crawl 2017. She is married and lives with her husband and too many books in Henrico, VA. You can find her at www.kristinahamlett.com.

Evans Hopkins

Evans Hopkins

Considered an expert on the criminal justice system, Evans Hopkins is author of the acclaimed  memoir, Life After Life: A Story of Rage and Redemption (Simon&Schuster/Free Press,) hailed as an “exciting new memoir” by the Washington Post. From 1982 until 1997, he became nationally-known while writing for the Washington Post, the New Yorker magazine, and a host of other publications. His work has been anthologized in numerous books, including the Prentice College Reader. Hopkins’s story is chronicled as part of the Civil Rights Oral History Project of the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian African-American History Museum.

Michelle Mercurio

Michelle Mercurio

As a writer and consultant with a background in communications, career coaching and workforce development, Michelle Mercurio uses creative, proven techniques to help clients plan their strategies, visualize and communicate their brands, strategize their social media and position themselves to achieve their goals. Her passion is helping entrepreneurs and professionals tell their authentic stories to get paid. You can reach Michelle at michellemercurio.com.

MODERATORS

Kris Spisak

Kris Spisak

With degrees from the College of William & Mary and the University of Richmond, Kris Spisak began her career as a college writing instructor; however, after years in the classroom, she transitioned to professional writing and editing. Helping writers sharpen their craft was the driving force behind her book, Get a Grip on your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press, 2017), and the creation of her writing program, Grammartopia. Kris is on the JRW board and is also pursuing the publication of her first novel. You can find Kris at kris-spisak.com.

Karen A. Chase

Karen A. Chase

Karen A. Chase is an author and photographer, and owner of 224design, a branding and design studio. Now represented by Roger Williams Agency, she is seeking representation for two novels in two genres–historical fiction (Carrying Independence) and southern upmarket women’s fiction (Decoys). Her first book, Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log, garnered seven independent publishing awards. Originally from Calgary, Canada, Karen is now chasing histories from Richmond, VA. You can find Karen at karenachase.com and on Twitter @KarenAChase.

/ , , /

Load More