Algonkian Writer Conferences - Syllabus and Method

INTERVIEW
OBSERVATIONS

"Any first time author can be made to look "fabulous" -- it's all about how an agent, author and publisher present the author. Every author has a background and a story, which can be told to the book- sellers and public in a boring way or a way that is spectacular."
  Barbara Zitwer

"If an author is a terrific writer and has a voice or perspective or style that's not been seen before, there is a far greater chance it will have a place in the literary market. Though it's true that it can be tough to get a first book published, agents and editors are always looking for the next voice or story."
  Elise Capron

"Whatever you're doing in this business, whether you're an agent, editor, or writer, it's crucially important to keep on top of what's happening in the industry. Agents and editors are much more likely to take writers seriously if they can name other writers in their genre whose work they admire ..."
  W. Gottlieb

"The truth is that most publishing professionals needn't read further than that ... Judging a book in five sentences might sound like an outrageous idea. But it's really not."
  Noah Lukeman

Algonkian Method + Syllabus and Author List

How does it work? Successful literary and commercial fiction authors provide models for study and our writers in attendance apply the craft they learn in the context of their own project and prose narrative. We refer to this method as "model-and-context." Using this method, writers focus on creating a single publishable work within their chosen genre. In addition, they are taught the realities of the American literary market through the agent pitch process. The conferences and shops devote equal time to structure (plot, complication, character, premise, etc.) and narrative (prose quality, craft techniques, scene writing, etc.).

Algonkian also provides an 86 page NOVEL WRITING STUDY GUIDE that closely follows the subjects noted in the syllabus below (this syllabus applicable to all Algonkian events except the NYC Pitch and Shop). Writers read, analyze and discuss novel elements of plot, complication/drama, theme, scene construction, narrative, prose style, and other craft techniques learned from the following authors/playwrights, and while performing the following workshop exercises and assignments.

1. What The Successful Author Must Possess

Platform-Premise-Execution at 110%, Market Basics, "The Plan," Craft Basics, Purpose-Passion-Tenacity, Single Best Author Tool + A Great Pitch.

    Exercise: Students role play as senior editorial staff at Random House and review a manuscript submission, arguing either for acceptance or rejection of the author's work. Study guide readings and discussion.

2. Market Reality and Pragmatic Thinking

Author Needs vs. Market Demands, Nuances of Genre vs. "Literary", What the Commercial Caesar Demands, Insider Info, Fierce Competition and Agent Targeting, From the Heart But Smart, Pitching the Novel, Log Lines and Query Letters. Algonkian agent and workshop faculty

    Discussion, Q&A, novel pitch sessions and reaction.

3. Drama's Most Powerful Elements in The Novel

Drama Theory, Statement of Conflict, Rising Action, Three Act Structure, 15 Steps of Complication, Reader Reaction Flow. Dryden, H. Miller, Krutch, Kesey

    Exercise and Assignments: creation and elaboration on each student's major conflict/complication in the novel and in synch with practicing the novel pitch. Study Guide readings and discussion.

4. The Intellectual Trace of Theme

Statement of Theme, Importance, Application and Representation, the Ripple Effect and Impact of Theme Throughout the Novel. Malraux, West, Kesey, Ionesco

    Exercise: creation of a primary theme statement for novel. Study Guide readings and discussion.

5. Know Your Story, Know Your Characters

Animation Sketching, Cognition and Affect, Social Reaction Profile, Ticks and Tags, Epiphany and Emotional Evolution, The Power of Great Antagonists, Sympathetic Protagonist in First Ten Pages. Patchett, Martel, Kidd, Albom, S. Anderson, E. Brontë, Fitzgerald, West, Hemingway

    Exercise: students sketch a unique and sympathetic protagonist in the context of the first ten pages of their novel. Study Guide readings and discussion.

6. Plot Devices and Other Needs

Scene Construction, Verisimilitude, POV, Masking, Foreshadow, Timesim, Exposition, Surprise, Minor Complication, Suspense Techniques, Character Arcs, and more. McInerney, O'Connor, Zola, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Ibsen, O'Connor, R.P. Warren, West, Knowles, Nabokov

    Exercise: diagram a prototype plot flow for novel. Study Guide readings and discussion.

7. Story Enhancement Techniques

Stages of Event, Narrative Energy, Seeding of Tension and Sub-events, Anecdotal Devices, Imagery, the Human Condition, and IMAGINATION. Robert Graves

    Exercise: construct and write a pre-defined scene that highlights setting, conflict, and metaphor. Study guide readings and discussion.

8. Strong Narrative Through Synergy

Prose Enhancement Guides, Compare and Contrast of Narrative Styles, The Art of Fiction; Subject Matter vs. Prose. Chabon, Godwin, Kosinski, Kingsolver, Updike, Proulx, Marquez, Brontë

    Exercise: construct and write a pre-defined scene that highlights dialogue, interior monologue, and suspense.

9. Dialogue: Never a Gratuitous Word

Screen and Stage Dialogue, Major Functions, Show Don't Tell, Need for Inclusion of Specific Elements, Types of Dialogue, Narrative Interjections, Character Roles in Scene. R. Price, Joyce, T. Williams, Hemingway

    Exercise: given back story, students write one major scene with dialogue, noting pivotal points.

10. Prose Enhancement and Publication

Prose drills, prose narrative guides, structure reference guides, the perfect synopsis. Meetings with agent and editor to discuss student work and publication possibilities. Shakespeare, Roethke, Welty, M. Martone, Plath, Chabon, and many more.

    Exercise: specific drills designed to hone competitive style. Students leave with a specific plan to realistically approach publication of their novel ms.

The conference workshops will examine, discuss, and then work through specific craft and prose exercises derived from direct analysis of a select group of works. (please note: students are NOT expected to read all the books on this list--please consult with workshop leader) This group currently includes:

"Bel Canto" (Ann Patchett)
"Third Degree" (Patterson and Gross)
"The First Five People You Meet In Heaven" (Mitch Albom)
"The Secret Life of Bees" (Sue Monk Kidd)
"The Life of Pi" (Yann Martel)
"Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" (Michael Chabon)
"Evensong" (Gail Godwin)
"The Burden of Proof" (Scott Turow)
"The Shipping News" (E. Annie Proulx)
"Claudius The God" (Robert Graves)
"Lucky You" (Carl Hiassen)
"The Poisonwood Bible" (Barbara Kingsolver)
"Lolita" (Vladimir Nabokov)
"The Illustrated Man" (Ray Bradbury)
"Wise Blood" (Flannery O'Connor)
"The Great Gatsby" (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
"All the King's Men" (Robert Penn Warren)
"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" (Ken Kesey)
"Miss Lonelyhearts" (Nathaniel West)
"The Sun Also Rises" (Ernest Hemingway)
"Wuthering Heights" (Emily Brontë)
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" (Gabriel G. Marquez)
"The Centaur" (John Updike), and others.

• Powell's Book Reviews

• Writer's Edge Musings

• Best of NY Times Reviews

WRITERS AND AUTHORS
TALK ABOUT
ALGONKIAN CONFERENCES

Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Thierry Sagnier: "I was stuck, hadn't done any serious writing for months, and a friend of mine—also a writer—suggested I attend a workshop to kickstart me. So I looked on the net and found that there were quite a few places that offered what I wanted, but when I researched the Algonkian conference, I recognized the name of a reporter I really respect. He'd been there and was highly complimentary, so that sealed it for me."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, Rae Bryant: "After completing the first draft of Ficklestick's , I wanted professional guidance and a community of writers to help me marinate the work. It was important to me as a first time novelist to seek feedback before finalizing the intricacies. By retaining a sense of early process malleability, I was able to really hear criticisms and then incorporate skills learned. Algonkian provided the perfect setting."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, Alex Keto: "I've been to handful of other conferences and decided that if you find yourself in a large room with someone almost out of eyesight in the front talking at you, the results are what you would expect: generic advice that doesn't really help."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Julie Kaewert: "Because I was changing agents, I knew it was important to learn how to package the MS effectively ... When I saw the Seven Mountains Writers Conference on the website, it looked like just the thing. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations in every way."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, author Kate Gallison: "One way to lengthen your life is to stretch it backwards, and so I read a lot of history. Early movies fascinate me. They were both like and unlike stage plays of the time, borrowing actors and melodramatic plots, but developing entirely new techniques for portraying dramatic action. "

Interview with Algonkian attendee, Greg Haas: "I could tell a story about how the process works. Fiction gave me a chance to go where non-fiction wouldn't let me…inside people at both ends of the political food chains heads. The final inspiration came from a strange place Karl Rove spent a great deal of time."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, Candy Somoza: "The preparation work got us thinking about the book in the store, how it got there, what makes it sell. While we read works and studied the writing, we also focused on the outside, so to speak, the marketing, and that was essential to prepare us."

Interview with Algonkian attendee, Barbara Marquart: I also wanted to tell a story that celebrates the deep bond between mothers and daughters - the struggles we all face to transcend our circumstances, forgive each other's failures and accept each other's limitations in order to find peace.