Focus is on New Media at the Willamette Writers Conference

By Mary Andonian

As this year’s film coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference, my goal is to bring in new managers and producers, perennial favorites from years’ past, and crossover “hybrids” who accept both book and film pitches. The new trend in Hollywood is to find projects that contain “storyworlds,” worlds that can transcend platforms: movies, television, books, gaming applications, tablet/phone apps, merchandise, and internet content. Portland is the perfect place to find these worlds! Not only do we house a vibrant graphics novel industry, the Northwest contains more writers/authors per capita than anywhere else in America!

Genres these managers and producers are looking for include: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Horror/Supernatural, Mystery, Sci-fi, Romance, Television, Spiritual, and Thriller. These are just the basics! Consider all of the blends and subgenres these categories offer and you’re bound to find someone from LA who will want to learn more about your script/project at the conference.

Here’s the complete list of Who’s Who this year: ADAM BLUM –Producer, Panay Films; TAI DUNCAN –Producer, Zero Gravity Management; DANNIE FESTA –Producer and Manager, Festa Entertainment; KIM GUIDONE –Independent Producer; ANDY HORWITZ –Producer, Atlas Entertainment; SETH JARET –CEO, Content Engine; SCOTT KROOPF –Producer, Evergreen Studios; MIKE KUCIAK –Producer and Manager, Samurai MK; MARC MANUS –Manager and Producer, Manus Entertainment; KAILEY MARSH –Manger and Producer, Kailey Marsh Management and Production (and founder of the annual BLOOD LIST); LUKE RYAN – CEO, The Alchemists; PATRICK SANTA –Director of Development, John Glenn Entertainment-Universal Studios; MITCH SOLOMON –Manager and Producer, Magnet Management; ERIC WILLIAMS – Founding Partner and Manager, Zero Gravity Management.

More about the WW Conference

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Mary Andonian is the 2014 film coordinator and former board member for Willamette Writers. In past years she was the program chair and lit coordinator for the Willamette Writers Conference. She’s the author of the teen book, Bitsy’s Labyrinth, which she later adapted into a screenplay. She is at work on her fourth screenplay, a thriller, called GAMBLING. www.maryandonian.com

"Creating Plots for Page Turners" Robert Dugoni May 17th, 2014 - DoubleTree at Lloyd Center

To celebrate our new venue and the opening of registration for the 2014 Willamette Writers Conference, Willamette Writers has invited best-selling author, speaker, teacher, (and all-around awesome guy), Robert Dugoni, to speak with the membership and share his knowledge of developing plot and creating a story that compels the reader.

From initial query letter to published novel, the writer must convey that she understands classic story structure. Bob will teach the fundamental relationship between good stories and journeys and use in-class exercises and assignments to help participants better understand story structure. PDF copy of the workshop description.

Evaluate your novel’s plot.
Make educated choices on your opening chapter.
Make critical judgments on your book’s often unwieldy middle.
Ensure your book’s ending brings into collision the forces you’ve set in motion that will deliver an emotionally satisfying conclusion.

1:15 – 2:00 pm Come for the member meeting and listen - then stick around for the workshop and learn!
2:30 – 5:00 pm Workshop “Creating Plots for Page Turners”
5:30 – 6:30 pm If you attend the workshop you can buy a $20 raffle ticket for the opportunity to spend an hour in conversation after the workshop with Bob and two other lucky winners.

The workshop is held at the DoubleTree at Lloyd Center, which is at 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland, OR 97232.

The general meeting is free for Willamette Writers members. Guests are $10.

The workshop is available to current Willamette Writers members for $50. Non-members are welcome to register for the workshop but will incur an additional fee of $36 for a one-year membership; students are $18 and a family membership is $54.

You can register for this class by mailing a check (with May Dugoni Workshop in the memo line) to: Willamette Writers' Cynthia Whitcomb House
2108 Buck Street
West Linn, OR 97068

You may also call 503-305-6729 and register over the phone, or pay with a credit card by calling the WW office.

FilmLab Finalist Announced

While we wait to find out who our Grand Prize Winner will be for the 2014 Willamette Writers FiLMLaB competition, you might be interested in learning more about our top five finalists:

BIOS:

Xavier Chavez is a screenwriter that has been active in a local screenwriters’ group and volunteering with the Willamette Writers’ Conference. He is experimenting with video production and won a finalist prize with ProjectEd for a short educational video this year. He enjoys creating compelling characters that let the audience experience a range of emotions. Xavier is looking for opportunities to become involved with a web series, TV, features, or gaming and enjoys learning and collaborating with others.

Jon Dragt has a software development business where he writes hundreds of lines of code when he’s not writing hundreds of lines of dialog. He recently retired as a hot air balloon pilot and gave up his weekly movie review column for the Canby Herald to spend more time pursuing other writing projects. He lives, works and writes at his small farm near Canby, Oregon, accompanied by his wife, Brenda, and his cat, Claire.

Susan Fleming is a not-quite native Oregonian. She has worked in marketing, public relations, and event planning for nonprofits in Oregon and Washington, D.C. She studied English at Willamette University, fiction writing at Johns Hopkins University, and screenwriting with Cynthia Whitcomb. She would like to thank the members of Willamette Writers for many inspirations, especially her writing group for endless encouragement. She lives in Portland with her husband and two young children. She blogs about parenting, fear, and failure at anxietyasahobby.com.

Elisa Graybill is an award-winning writer who was born and raised in and around Seattle. She graduated from the Evergreen University and then went on to earn a Masters Degree in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California.

Elisa partnered with E. Michael Lewis on the screenplay Cargo, based on E. Michael’s short story of the same name, which is currently in development at Hammerhead Studios. Elisa has written numerous other screenplays as well, and has won or placed in many writing contests, including Emerging Screenwriters, Scriptapalooza, the Cyberspace Open, and the AAA Screenwriting Contest.

She currently lives just outside Portland, Oregon with her husband (and tireless editor), two wonderful children, and two dogs. You can reach Elisa Graybill at elisa.graybill@gmail.com. And be sure to ‘like’ her at facebook.com/elisagraybill!

Michael Meyers
Before venturing into screenwriting, Michael Meyers spent five years as a TV commercial writer and director. He is a two-time Alaska Broadcasters Association honoree including the winner of a Goldie Award for Best TV Commercial of the Year. He was born and raised in Portland and has, over the years, studied writing and film making with WGA Screenwriter David Alexander, Sue Mach, Roger Margolis and Tom Taylor among others. Michael holds an English degree from Whitman College and currently lives in West Linn with his wife, two children and their dog.

Congratulations again, Finalists!

SCREENWRITERS: CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR FiLMLaB’S 2014 SCRIPT TO SCREEN COMPETITION

Beginning November 1, 2013, Willamette Writers is soliciting entries for the 2014 FilmLab’s Script to Screen short film scriptwriting competition. We seek writers with the ability to tell a compelling story quickly and cinematically, while adhering to a theme and a practical eye towards real-life movie production. Unique to scriptwriting contests, the Script to Screen Competition grand prize is this: we will produce a short film based on the winning script! The winning writer will have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with our production team, attend the filming and, in short, to experience the collaborative process of filmmaking! The resulting film will premiere at the 2014 Willamette Writers Conference in August.

Guidelines: Scripts are limited to no more than seven pages in standard screenplay format. Stories should unfold within one principal location and feature no more than four main characters. The 2014 location will be the Willamette Writers Cynthia Whitcomb House for Writers – please do not disturb the writers in residence there, but you can reserve a room for inspiration, we have a video tour available, and we’re hosting an Open House on February 9th from 2 – 5 pm. Scripts will be judged on their writing, adherence to parameters, and on the practicality, given-time and budgetary constraints, of producing the story. In other words, how well will this story translate from the script to the screen?

Complete Rules and Guidelines, http://willamettewriters.com/wwfilm/?page_id=140

Submission period: Scripts must be received by Willamette Writers no later than Saturday, March 1, 2014 to be considered.

Entry Fee: $25 for Willamette Writers members; $30 for general public.

Submissions

1) Create a PDF version of your script that contains no personal information (we will distribute these to the judges to allow for anonymity). On the title page, list only the title of your script, along with “FilmLab 2014” and a four-digit code of your choosing (so we can tell scripts with identical titles apart).

2) Email this PDF copy of your script to: FilmLab@willamettewriters.com. Include in the subject line of this email: “FilmLab 2014” followed by your full name and your four-digit code.

3) Mail your entry fee to:
FiLMLaB c/o Willamette Writers
2108 Buck Street
West Linn, OR 97068-3010

Three author/teachers in one fabulous workshop!

Dana Haynes, Bill Cameron, and April Henry, February 8th

9 - 11 Dana Haynes

This isn't Rocket Surgery

Psst. Don't let it get out, but writing is as much a craft as it is an art. With a few simple techniques, you can make your writing more productive and -- equally important -- more fun. If you ever get to a point that writing is a chore, like emptying the cat box, your novel is in trouble. These tricks will keep the process fresh and fun, give you momentum, and help you get to those all-important words, "The End."

11:15 - 1:15 Bill Cameron

Not Who They Think They Are: Building Character Through Contradiction

At its core, character development is not about likeability, or relatability, or sympathy. It's about empathy. As writers we must understand not only a character's traits, interests, needs and desires, but what they value and how they see themselves-as well as how others see them. Internal conflict and contradiction is often foundational in who people are. This workshop will explore ways to build characters who may be fooling themselves, but are richer and more compelling as a result.

1:15 - 2:15 lunch (on your own)

2:15 - 4:15 April Henry

Plot

Plot is much more than a sequence of events. It's the engine that drives all stories - especially mysteries. But how can you come up with a good twisty plot that will turn your book into a page turner? Learn practical ways to create twists, cliffhangers, characters, conflict and more.

WW members - $95

Non-members - 131

You can register for this class by mailing a check to Willamette Writers, calling 503-305-6729 and registering over the phone, or by paying with a credit card at http://www.willamettewriters.com/1/Willamette_Writers_Workshops.php. The Willamette Writers' Cynthia Whitcomb House is at 2108 Buck St, West Linn, OR 97068.

Bios

Dana Haynes spent 20 years in Oregon newspaper newsrooms, split evenly between weeklies and dailies. He won awards as a reporter, columnist, and editor. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he now serves as spokesman for Mayor Charlie Hales of Portland, Oregon.

http://danahaynes.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/picnic-house.jpg

Haynes' first thriller, CRASHERS was released in 2010 by Minotaur Books, a division of St. Martin's Press. It won the Spotted Owl Award from Friends of Mystery as 2010's best mystery or thriller written by a Northwest writer. His first screenplay, an adaptation of CRASHERS, made it to the semifinals of the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship in 2005. BREAKING POINT, the sequel to CRASHERS, made its debut in 2011.

Now comes ICE COLD KILL, the breakout thriller for Daria Gibron, the ex-Israeli soldier and spy who first appeared in CRASHERS. Daria's adventures continue this winter in GUN METAL HEART.

Bill Cameron's first novel, Lost Dog (2007), was a Left Coast Crime Rocky Award nominee and a finalist for the 2008 Spotted Owl Award for best mystery in the Pacific Northwest. His second novel, Chasing Smoke (2008), received a starred review from Library Journal and was a finalist for the 2009 Spotted Owl Award. It was also an IndieBound Notable Next for January 2009. Cameron's third novel, Day One, was published by Tyrus Books in 2010, and features the return of his series character, Skin Kadash. Day One was a finalist for the 2011 Spotted Owl Award and was included in the Best of 2010 list by the Portland Mercury. His fourth novel, County Line was published by Tyrus Books/F+W Crime in June 2011. In March 2012, County Line was named the winner of the 2012 Spotted Owl Award for Best Northwest Mystery.

April Henry knows how to kill you in two-dozen different ways. She makes up for a peaceful childhood in an intact home by killing off fictional characters. There was one detour on April's path to destruction: when she was 12 she sent a short story about a six-foot tall frog who loved peanut butter to noted children's author Roald Dahl. He liked it so much he arranged to have it published in an international children's magazine.

Willamette Writers Hosts Workshop by Eric Witchey January 10-12, PDX

Power Writing:

Write Emotionally Powerful Short Stories

Eric M. Witchey

Whether writing scenes, flash, or short fiction to teach yourself techniques for use in larger works, to develop your portfolio, to have fun, or to get some extra money so you can attend conferences to sell your novels, this seminar will demonstrate several story forms and how to use emotion-driven characters to hook your readers and leave an indelible mark on their hearts.

This three-day seminar includes hands-on experience with powerful tools you will be able to use in all your creative writing. Some writers may even walk away with a short story they can put in the mail.

January 10th, 6:00 - 8:00

January 11th, 6:00 - 8:00

January 12th, 9:30 - 3:30 (one hour lunch, on your own)

WW members - $165

Non members - $201 (includes membership in WW)

Workshop held at the Willamette Writers Cynthia Whitcomb House, 2108 Buck St, West Linn, Oregon, 97068.

You can register for this class by mailing a check to Willamette Writers, calling 503-305-6729 and registering over the phone, or by paying with a credit card.

Authors Road Interviews George R.R. Martin

As we’ve traveled the country talking with writers and experts on authors, we’ve come to understand that this remarkable group is first and foremost storytellers. Since earliest times, these are the people in our cave-clans, tribes, castes and social circles who have that special gift to enrapture, instruct and inspire us with tales of myth, truth, daring and insight.

George R.R. Martin is one of the world’s modern storytellers who has for years spun his legends and kept us watching, listening, and reading. He has been telling fantastical tales since he was a child, and his genres are most often fantasy, horror, and science fiction. His mediums have included comic books, short stories, bestselling novels, and episodic as well as epic television programs and series starting with Twilight Zone and continuing to the current HBO blockbuster series, Game of Thrones. And his art has been acknowledged with bestselling worldwide sales, and numerous awards, including his selection in the 2011 Time 100, those people the magazine named as the most influential people in the world.

This last summer we had the great fortune to visit Martin at his writing studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We filmed our interview with him in an elegant room with two walls filled with dioramas of miniatures engaged in medieval war, science fiction disasters, and flights of fancy – a fitting backdrop for our talk.

We are so very pleased and proud to share with you our interview with our 38th writer, George R.R. Martin.

And more:

Recently the tables were turned on us as we were the subject of two media interviews. If you’re interested in hearing us, or reading more about us, please check out the following:

On Oregon Public Radio’s, Think Out Loud: https://soundcloud.com/thinkoutloudopb/the-authors-road-chronicling

And in a Portland Tribune newspaper, Boom: http://portlandtribune.com/bnw/21-news/202348-george-and-sallis-excellent-adventure

And last, to one and all: Thanks for your continued support and encouragement, and our fondest wishes to all for a Most Happy New Year.

George, Salli & Ella

Next Up: Bestselling author and writing professor,

Pam Houston

Thanks for . . .

. . . joining us . . .

. . . on the road!

Authors Road