Workshops listed below are for the remainder of 2013 and the two months of 2014. The rest of the 2014 workshops will be announced in July, 2013.

A few pieces of history and information on the workshops here.

First off, they are held in Lincoln City, OR, right on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Lincoln City is a long ways from anywhere, so the writers coming to these workshops are driven to learn and that’s the kind of writer we are looking to invite. This July in workshops we had a writer from Tokyo and another from Great Britain. At the same time there were four writers from Canada and a number from the east coast of this country.

My point is that very, very few people are within driving distance of these workshops.

Second, these are professional level workshops. We do not teach beginners. Beginning writers can find help just about anywhere. We want to work with the writers who have gotten through their first million words, who maybe or maybe not have published some stories or books, and who are focusing on becoming a full-time fiction writer. Many of the writers attending have been full-time nonfiction writers and want to move to fiction. Many are writers driven who have started to sell or are getting great rejections. Many are well-published writers.

So if you are only working on your first novel or have only written a few short stories, these workshops would hurt you and I won’t invite you. But if you’ve been working at this business for a time, writing like crazy, and have a goal to become a professional fiction writer down the road, these workshops can help you. Never hurts to write me and see if you can get in. You might surprise yourself at where you really are on the road.

By the way, I use the term “workshop” to describe these events, but there are no critiques other than by the instructors. Writers attending will be reading the work of the others attending, but not critiquing anything. Kris and I do not believe in peer critiques and they do not happen here at all anymore. We work to help you get better. We are not here to tear anyone apart.

As you may have already gathered, these are invite-only workshops. Write me at dean (at) deanwesleysmith (dot) com if you are interested. Or if you know someone who might be interested, send them to the workshop page here on this site for information.

The costs are the workshop fee plus you pay for your own room when you arrive. A deposit or full payment is needed to hold your spot. Payment one month ahead of the workshop in full is required. (All money paid ahead is refundable for any reason if you can’t make it.)

All workshops are 8 days long. All of these workshops are limited attendance in one fashion or another. Most run between twelve and twenty writers. (And honestly, the great networking and discussions that go on around these workshops and after the workshop each day is often worth the costs alone.)

Starting in 2012, we hold the workshops in WMG Publishing offices and everyone stays in a wonderful twenty-suite hotel here in Lincoln City that gives great rates. We often have the entire hotel to ourselves. I do all the reservations for each workshop, so nothing to worry about. Writers just pay for the room when they arrive. Most of the rooms are two-room suites with kitchens and there is free breakfast. Usually the rate is either $40.00 per night or $50.00 per night, depending on the season. You get the entire suite to yourself.

Some of these workshops are intense craft workshops such as the Character Voice or the Mystery Workshop or the Anthology workshop. You will be writing a lot during those workshops. Some workshops are business and information workshops and you will take a notebook full of notes. Ask either by e-mail or in the comments if you are serious about any workshop and want more information.

ANNOUNCEMENT! We are now doing online workshops for writers.  Look under the Online Workshop tab for more information. Those will be limited to twelve and are NOT invite-only. Just sign up. First-come, first-served.

 

2013/2014 Workshop Schedule

April 6th- 13th, 2013

CHARACTER VOICE AND SETTING WORKSHOP  

Taught by Dean Wesley Smith. This workshop is something we offer every year and is an intense writing and craft workshop and one of the most important workshops we offer. If you want your fiction to come alive, for readers to tell your characters apart, and to even understand how to write characters that can’t be forgotten by readers, this is the workshop. Also, if you have problems with setting, it doesn’t mean you don’t know how to describe something, it means you are having troubles with characters. All setting is the opinion of a character and that takes some skills and methods to learn.

Workshop fee is $650.00 and room rate is $50.00 per night.

This workshop starts at 7PM on the first Saturday and goes late on the second Saturday, with check-out and travel home on Sunday.

(We might do this one in the spring of 2014… hold on for announcement in July.) 

—————-

June 15th – June 22nd, 2013

MYSTERY WORKSHOP

Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.  This will be an intensive writing workshop (as the short story workshop is) studying all aspects of writing mystery fiction in all the subgenres of mystery fiction. (Kris also writes novels in mystery under the Kris Nelscott name and has been nominated for every major award in mystery. Her stories appear regularly in both Queen and Hitchcocks magazines.) (Limited to around 15 writers)

OWN (Oregon Writer’s Network) members only. (OWN members are writers who have already come to a workshop here before.)

Workshop fee is $650.00 and room rate is $50.00 per night.

This workshop starts at 7PM on the first Saturday and goes late on the second Saturday, with check-out and travel home on Sunday.

(Update 3/20/13… If You Are An OWN Member and are interested, write me.) 

————-

July 13th – July 20th, 2013

HOW TO SELL MORE BOOKS AND MAKE MORE MONEY:

THE ADVANCED MASTER CLASS.

Taught by Scott William Carter, Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and a number of others to be named as we get them on board.

This will cover everything. Writers often don’t know what they need, so this workshop will cover it all in a very intense week of work. From advanced cover design to advanced sales copy writing. From advanced audio training to learning how to structure a story. And so much business. Everything a writer will need to know to sell more books and make more money with their fiction in this new world. You name it, we will cover it, and at an advanced level.

You will also be doing a lot of writing in this workshop, with many exercises to improve craft to finishing a story or two.

OWN (Oregon Writer’s Network) members only.  Indie publishing experience is also required for this course. You will need to have already published electronically and either be working at having books in paper or already have them up.

Workshop fee is $650.00 and room rate is $60.00 per night.

This workshop starts at 7PM on the first Saturday and goes late on the second Saturday, with check-out and travel home on Sunday.

(Update 3/20/13…If you are an OWN Member and are interested, write me.) 

——–

October 19th – October 26th, 2013

SCIENCE FICTION WORKSHOP

Taught by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, the only person in history to ever win a Hugo Award for both her professional editing and her own fiction.  Kris has also won both the reader’s choice awards at Analog, Asimov’s and Science Fiction Age magazines.

This will be an intensive writing workshop studying all aspects of writing science fiction in all the subgenres of science fiction.

Workshop fee is $650.00 and room rate is $50.00 per night.

This workshop starts at 7PM on the first Saturday and goes late on the second Saturday, with check-out and travel home on Sunday.

————-

February 22nd- March 1st, 2014

ANTHOLOGY WORKSHOP

Taught by professional writers Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, John Helfers, Kerrie Hughes, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Dean Wesley Smith.

You will write stories ahead for anthologies for this workshop, as well as write a story while at the workshop. Very intense and a ton of fun.

Workshop fee is $650.00 and room rate is $50.00 per night.

This workshop starts at 7PM on the first Saturday and goes late on the second Saturday, with check-out and travel home on Sunday.

——

THAT’S IT. For now.

And don’t forget, we are now doing Online workshops. Check those out under the Online Workshops tab at the top of the page.