(This is a summary schedule of the 2014 Workshop)
Thursday 7-8 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Meet the workshop leaders, speakers, and staff who’ve arrived on Thursday. We’ll cover policies and introduce our staff. The Kiss & Cry Lounge will be introduced and we’ll talk about how to participate in flash writing sessions & where to go if you need help with anything at all.
Social Mixer
Thursday 8-10 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Are you an introvert? An extrovert? A newcomer hoping to meet CW alumni? Come have some cake and chat. We’ll break the ice with tiny plastic forks (and perhaps a few games).
Night Owls
Thursday/Friday/Saturday 10-2 am
Kiss & Cry Lounge
Feel like laying down a few words with fellow Night Owls? We’ll keep the lounge open for anyone who wants to write in a group setting until the wee hours.
Early Birds
Friday/Saturday/Sunday 6-8 am
Kiss & Cry Lounge
If you’re an early bird and want to write with fellow fowls of a feather, we’ll open the lounge early for anyone who wants to write in a group setting while watching the sunrise.
Morning Meeting
Friday/Saturday/Sunday 8:30 – 9 am
Olympia Conference Room
We’ll meet each morning to go over programming, answer questions, introduce speakers, and announce any changes to the schedule.
Critique Workshops
Friday 9-11am, 2-4 pm*
Saturday 9-11 am*
Sunday 9-11 am*
Locations assigned at registration
If you are participating in the critique groups, you will join them in the room assignment given to you at registration. See a staff member in the lounge if you’re lost! Classes Only participants are welcome in the lounge for writing sprints or off campus entertainment!
*Short Fiction Participants please note your workshop is from 9-12 on Friday and Saturday mornings and your one-on-ones with K.c. Ball will be held on Sunday from 9-12, as arranged with K.c.
A History of Horror
Friday 11-noon
Mark Henry
Olympia Conference Room
Join Mark Henry as he discusses the elements of good horror and how they’ve changed throughout history. Learn how writers outside of the genre can benefit from techniques used by horror writers.
The Purpose & Practice of Short Stories
Friday 11-noon
David Levine
Evergreen Meeting Room
Why do we write short stories? Who reads them? How do they improve your writing? Whether you’re already a short story writer or are thinking of diving into the shorter end of the writing pool, come hear a short story expert explain the importance of short fiction and how it affects your writing.
Speculative Poetry
Friday 11-noon
Alex C. Renwick
Kent Meeting Room
What is speculative poetry? Who writes it? Where do you send it? How does poetry lend power to speculative fiction. Alex Renwick shares her experiences writing speculative poetry and its place in the speculative canon.
Flash Fiction with K.c. Ball
Friday/Saturday 2-5 pm
K.c. Ball
Boeing Meeting Room
For those who pre-registered, plot, draft, and polish a flash fiction piece over two days, including critiques and market discussion.
The Joys of Revision
Friday 4-5 pm
Tina Connolly
Olympia Conference Room
Maybe you’re revising your own story or novel. Perhaps your story has caught an editor’s eye, but they want a change or ten. Let’s talk revision. How much is too much? How much is too little? What do you do if a change feels wrong? Tina Connolly takes us through the process and answers your questions.
Editing & Sequencing Anthologies
Friday 4-5 pm
Alex C. Renwick
Evergreen Conference Room
The time has finally come for the world to read your dream anthology, “Cactus People in a Bubble World.” How do you put together stories from various authors in a cohesive fashion? What’s the best way to sequence those stories? Come chat with anthology editor and writer Alex Renwick about her experiences on both sides of the anthology aisle.
Social Media & You
Friday 4-5 pm
Kent Meeting Room
Bree Ogden, David Levine, and Randy Henderson
Still wondering why your Tweeters keep talking about Bookface? Come talk to some active and successful experts in social media. What to do and what not to do, using social media as a writer’s water cooler, and how to craft your image.
The Happy Author
Friday 7-8 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Jenna Land Free & Leslie Miller
Regardless of whether a writer publishes traditionally or by themselves, much of the onus falls on the author to market their own work. But how do you find time to write books, promote them, and still live your life? We’ll discuss the lifecycle of a book and how to find time to make promotion a part it; assuaging the fear that you will have to do everything all at once. We’ll also talk about how to combat the “ick” factor of self-promotion and discuss how to bring attention to your work through community involvement.
The Sea of Voices: Character References
Friday 7-8 pm
Evergreen Meeting Room
Alma Alexander
How do you meet and get to know the characters in your story? Do you look in the mirror and describe yourself? Do you trawl your family tree for crazy Aunt Agatha or Uncle Septimus and hope like hell that they never read your book? Do you go at it like a GM in a D&D game and write out complex character sheets for them, which become both an invaluable bible and a millstone around your neck? Or do you look up and see one of them standing there beside you, saying, “Hi, my name is [insert name here], here’s my story, shut up and type”? Alma helps us find the best way to use our own techniques.
Building a Collection of Short Stories
Friday 7-8 pm
Kent Meeting Room
Alex Renwick
Thinking about releasing a collection of your own stories? How do you find the uniting thread in your stories? How do you sequence and edit them objectively? Whether those stories are published or unpublished, Alex takes us through the steps to build a collection from start to finish.
What an Agent Wants
Friday 8-9 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Lisa Rodgers & Bree Ogden
Whether you’re a few years from searching for an agent or are busy querying, hear from Lisa Rodgers of Jabberwocky and Bree Ogden of D4EO about how to find the literary agents who best align your work. Learn the dos and don’ts of query letters and short pitches.
Pitch Practice
Friday 9-10 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Spencer Ellsworth (facilitator)
Ready to practice your agent pitch with your fellow writers? Practice pitching and chat constructively about how to introduce your work to someone for the first time.
How to Approach an Editor
Saturday 11-noon
Olympia Conference Room
Beth Meacham
Editors receive all sorts of ridiculous gifts, but what they’d like most is your polished manuscript. Spend an hour with Tor editor Beth Meacham about what editors look for in your work and how to work with them once your work is accepted.
Why Indie?
Saturday 11-noon
Evergreen Conference Room
Matt Youngmark, Tim Long, Patrick Swenson and Katie Cord
Are you interested in small press or self-publishing? Our panel has experience in self, indie, and traditional publishing. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of non-traditional publishing and why they might be right for you.
Pros & Cons of Pen Names
Saturday 11-noon
Kent Meeting Room
Alex C. Renwick
Always wanted a pen name but just weren’t sure you should use one? Alex Renwick aka Camille Alexa chats with us about the pros and cons of pen names. When does it make sense to use a pen name? When does it become a problem? When should you reveal your pen name (if ever)? Come with your questions and thoughts about your favorite author alias anecdotes.
Agent Pitches
Saturday 2-5 pm
Evergreen Meeting Room: Lisa Rodgers
Kent Meeting Room: Bree Ogden
For those wanting to pitch to one or both agents, sign up sheets & times will be passed around your group during the first critique session. Please be on time for your pitch appointment.
Mechanics for the Indie Author
Saturday 2-3 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Tim Long, Janine Southard & Katie Cord
So you’ve decided to self-publish. What do you need to think about before you get started? How do you make sure your work is taken seriously? Who will edit your book? What platform do you want to release it to? We’ll talk Indie basics with authors Tim Long and Janine Southard.
Crowdfunding Your Novel
Saturday 3-4 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Janine Southard & Tom Wright
Thinking of crowdfunding your novel, but aren’t sure how? Janine and Tom will talk platforms and strategies, success and failure to help you decide if, how, and how much to ask for in order to your project goals.
Advertising/Marketing for Indie Writers
Saturday 4-5 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Tim Long, Matt Youngmark, and Katie Cord
If you’re on Twitter, you’ve probably seen authors who promote their books the wrong way. How do you promote yourself and your product without annoying your fans? Let’s talk strategies used to keep eyes on books, instead of the unfollow button.
Life After Being Published
Saturday 7-8 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Randy Henderson & Spencer Ellsworth
Join arch-nemeses Randy and Spencer as they talk about their experiences with writing, major workshops, selling to pro markets, winning contests, and selling novels, and answer all your questions (in between throwing jokes and insults at each other). Learn what changes and doesn’t change, what to prepare for and what you can’t control, what is important and where to put your time and effort before and after publication.
Publishing What You Want To Read: An Intro to Editorship
Saturday 7-8 pm
Evergreen Conference Room
Mark Teppo & Patrick Swenson
Have you ever daydreamed about starting a publication full of the stories you like best? Two authors and editors join us to talk about their ventures on the editorial side of things and building a publication to their specifications.
Plot vs Character Arc
Saturday 8-9 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Randy Henderson
What’s the difference between Plot, Story, and Character Arc? How do you integrate your character arc into your plot, or build your plot around your character arc? How do you do so whether plotting, pantsing, or revising? And how do you pants a novel when books only wear jackets to begin with? These questions and more will be answered. Get ready to level up as writers. P-ZOW!
When to Say No
Saturday 8-9 pm
Evergreen Conference Room
Alex C. Renwick
How do you stay a part of the community if you can’t participate in every event? How do you stay relevant if you don’t accept every anthology invite? Who will critique your work if you don’t critique every one else’s? Alex walks us through how and when to say no while maintaining integrity as writers and people.
Sexy Sentences
Saturday 9-10 pm
Olympia Conference Room
Spencer Ellsworth
How To Make Your Prose Dance: Do your sentences puddle and trickle? Do they run with the buffalo–over a bluff, onto a fresh, sharp spear? Do they dribble from your brain-faucet into the word disposal, and then get stuck, and then we gotta call a repairman, and ohhhh damn the bill… point is, you need Sexy Sentences, Sir or Madam. Spencer will teach you how to turn a perspiring participle into a fierce flow of word-power. “Cormac McWho?” they’ll say. Cormac McYou.
Cover Design
Saturday 9-10 pm
Evergreen Conference Room
Matt Youngmark
Join author and graphic artist, Matt Youngmark, to discuss the art of cover design. How do you find an artist? What are some design considerations for today’s readers and e-readers? What does good art cost? Come with your questions and observations.
Crafting a Series Arc
Saturday 9-10 pm
Kent Meeting Room
Mark Teppo
You’ve plotted a whole book, but your characters demand more. Mark Teppo takes us through the considerations needed to plot a series of books, including character arcs, world development, and dreaded loose ends.
What’s Next?
Sunday 11-1 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Speakers & Workshop Leaders
This two-hour panel is designed to discuss life after the workshop. We’ll talk critique groups, online support, resources, other workshops and intensives, and spec fic markets. Bring the question that never got answered and learn about markets you’ve never heard of. Share your contact information and get your unsigned books signed.
Open Board Meeting
Sunday 2-4 pm
Olympia Meeting Room
Cascade Board of Directors
This is an open meeting of the Cascade Board. Attendees are welcome and this meeting will specifically include comments about the 2014 workshop.
