WORKSHOPS, Summer, Fall 2010

How to Survive as a Writer in the New Media World

Instructors:  Laura Fraser, Michael Gold, and Susan West

Contact:  info@laurafraser.com or info@westgoldeditorial.com

Number of sessions:  2-day workshop; can come for one day only

Meeting times:  9:30 am to 4 pm, Saturday, November 13; 10 am to 4:30 pm, Sunday, November 14

Held at the Grotto, 490 Second St. #200 (corner of Bryant).

Course fee: $295 for both days; $175 for one. Registration and payment.

In this weekend series of workshops and panel discussions, you’ll strengthen your skills as a writer and learn new tools to compete in the changing media market. The first day will focus on targeting and pitching outlets that pay and on the writing skills that you need to stand out either in print or online. Sessions will include workshops on style and structure, and a panel discussion with writers, new media editors, and print editors. The second day will show you how—and why—to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Scribd, blogs, and other social media to develop your professional persona, extend your reach as a writer, promote your work, and get noticed. Sessions will include hands-on workshops on setting up and using these tools efficiently and effectively, as well as the principles of writing for the Web, including search engine optimization (SEO) for writers. For beginning as well as experienced writers.

Instructors

Laura Fraser is the author most recently of All Over the Map, and of the New York Times bestseller An Italian Affair. She has been a freelance writer since 1982, contributing to outlets that include More, Gourmet, Wired, Mother Jones, Salon.com, and many others. Laura has taught magazine writing at colleges and workshops such as the University of California at Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and Harvard’s Nieman Conference on Narrative Journalism.

Susan West and Michael Gold are principals of West Gold Editorial, an editorial consulting firm. They have been writers, editors, and managers for 30 years, launching and advising magazines and websites including Heath, Dwell, Afar, WebMD, Discovery.com, BabyCenter, and many more. They are former academic directors of Stanford’s Publishing on the Web workshop. They are using lots of social media tools to promote their new start-up, ScienceForCitizens.net.

Schedule

Saturday, November 13

9:30            Coffee and introductions

10            Panel discussion: Adapting as a Writer in a New Media World

Moderator: Susan West. Panelists: Jonathan Weber, Bay Citizen; Ivory Madison, Red Room; Laura Fraser, freelance; others TBA.

Newspapers and magazines are failing right and left, authors are abandoning their publishing companies, and the writers who get noticed are often those who Tweet their way to success. On the other hand, there are more outlets for your writing than ever before—though not all of them pay. How can a writer carve out a career in this marketplace? Our panelists will offer perspective, case studies, and strategies.

12            Lunch on your own

1            Timeless Style: How to get your writing to stand out in print or online

Instructor: Laura Fraser

Your success as a writer in any medium depends on whether you can draw readers in and compel them to stick around until the end of your story. This workshop will focus on the elements of good style: great fit, cut, color, and strong, spare lines. We’ll talk about how to simplify, tighten, and enliven your writing to make it fresh in any media environment.

2:30            Beyond Beginning, Middle, and End: How to structure your piece for clarity and impact                        Instructor: Laura Fraser

Structure can make or break a story: Many writers are full of good ideas but can’t get their thoughts across because their stories lack coherent structure. This workshop will focus on clear, seamless structure to make pieces logical and compelling, from beginning to end.

Sunday, November 14

10            Social Media Strategies for Writers

Instructor: Michael Gold

No doubt about it: These days you have to be your own agent and promoter. This session will show you how social media can help your writing get noticed and will offer practical guidelines for setting up your own plan.

11            Hands-On Social Media (Concurrent sessions; choose basic or advanced)

Basics: Setting up and maintaining a blog; getting to know Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, and other tools. Instructor: Susan West

Advanced: Creating and managing your own social media strategy; tips, tools, and tricks to save time and boost effectiveness. Instructor: Michael Gold

1            Lunch on your own

2            Writing for the Web

Instructor: Susan West

As a publisher of Web pages, blog posts, and tweets, you have to face it: People don’t exactly read online. We’ll look at techniques for “Webifying” copy so that it gets noticed and is appreciated by your audience—humans and search-engine spiders alike.

3:30            Wine, cheese, and concluding remarks

LAURA’S READINGS, WRITING WORKSHOPS, AND APPEARANCES

I have taught magazine writing at the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, as well as at the Grotto, Esalen, San Francisco State University, Aspen Summer Words, UC Extension, A Room of Her Own (AROHO), Harvard’s Nieman Conference on Narrative Non-Fiction, and other venues. I frequently do panels, classes, and workshops on memoir and magazine writing, as well as readings and bookstore events. I also do private writing coaching for a limited number of clients.

If you are interested in writing coaching, email me. I work with writers who want to improve their writing, not rush to publish what they’ve written. As my friend and mentor William Zinsser (“On Writing Well”) puts it, “I teach how to write, not how to sell.” While I know something about marketing your writing, the first thing I know is that you have to write well first. I charge for reading and consulting time (which can be over the phone or by email).

In connection with my book Losing It, I made numerous media appearances, conference keynote speeches, and have talked to young women on eating disorders wards. I’ve spoken about weight and the diet industry to groups at Wesleyan University, Amherst, Williams, Mt. Holyoke, the University of Connecticut, Smith College, Hampshire College, Cal Berkeley, and other universities. I have appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Entertainment Tonight, MTV, CNN, the Food Network, Maury Povitch, Leeza Gibbons, and numerous local news shows.

I occasionally moderate panels and conduct interviews at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, including:

• An interview with Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide
• A panel on the Counterculture, with R.U. Sirius, Jello Biafra, Louis Rossetto, and Burning Man’s Larry Harvey

Recently, I have done panels and workshops at:

• The Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival
• The Kansas City Writers’ and Readers’ Conference
• The A Room of Her Own Writing Conference
• Esalen
• The San Miguel de Allende Writers’ Conference
• UC Extension Freelance Writing workshop
• Harvard University’s Nieman Workshop on Narrative Journalism

And storytelling at:

• The Marsh, San Francisco
• Porchlight, San Francisco
• Fray Day, San Francisco
• Grotto Nights, San Francisco

And I did an NPR commentary on why I hate dieters at dinner parties.

To arrange a conference appearance or reading, or to inquire about private writing classes or coaching, please send me an e-mail.