End of an Era

We regret to announce that after many years, the Fairwood Writers will not be running the writers' workshop at Norwescon 42.  The convention will be taking the workshops in a new direction in 2019, and we wish them every success.

It's been an honor and a privilege to work with so many hard-working writers from the Northwest and beyond over the years.  We hope to see you all soon at conventions and other events.

Stay tuned for updates on our own new directions and other news.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Workshop Spotlight: Shweta Adhyam

Once again our occasional series on writers' journeys focuses on someone who's about to rack up time on both sides of our critique table. This year Shweta Adhyam--a 2017 Clarion West student whose work is starting to show up in respected genre venues--is switching roles from receiving feedback on her writing to providing it to other writers.

Shweta submitted short stories to our Norwescon workshops for five years running. "Every year, I came away with a little bit more command over the craft," she says. 

 

When the pros critiquing her stories brought up a specific technique or aspect of craft, such as foreshadowing, she'd go on to study it and practice incorporating it into story revisions and new work. Over time her writing became more sophisticated.

And sometimes the feedback had more immediate benefits on top of a long-term lesson. 

 

"Once, a critiquer pointed out how I could get a really amazing ending from what I had already planted throughout the story. It was a proverbial lightbulbs-going-off-in-head moment on so many levels," Shweta says.

Along with leading the way to a perfect story ending, it was also "an invaluable lesson to go back and mine your stories for things that might have been left on the table while you were looking elsewhere," she says.

Critique workshops are tremendous opportunities to learn and grow as a writer, she says. The pros who read your work and offer feedback are sitting at the table with you, so submit the manuscript you're struggling with, listen to the critiquers' comments and ask them questions. 

 

"The conversations (that follow) can open up possibilities not just on the piece under discussion, but also mastering the art in general," Shweta says. 

 

Shweta's most recent stories include "The Warrior and the Sage" (written as Shweta Sundararajan) at Intergalactic Medicine Show and "A Conch Shell's Notes" in an upcoming issue of Lightspeed.

Although it's too late to take part in our 2018 Norwescon workshop, please contact us at writersworkshop@norwescon.org to be added to our mailing list for information about future workshops and events. And if you're attending Norwescon, we'd love to meet you at the social we're hosting, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in Presidential Suite 1360.

Last Call For Our 2018 Workshop

Get your manuscripts ready for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 41 next spring!  We're in the final week and counting down to our submissions deadline at midnight on Sunday, Dec. 3.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories and novel excerpts critiqued by professional writers and editors.  You'll find our guidelines here.

The clock is ticking!  We hope to see you and your work at Norwescon!

Why Workshop? One Writer's Story

Sandra M. Odell will be critiquing for our 2018 writers' workshop at Norwescon for the first time, but she's no stranger to what we do. Her experiences being critiqued in some of our past workshops were an important step in her journey to turning pro and racking up an impressive list of short story sales.

Sandra first submitted a manuscript to one of our Norwescon workshops after an extended hiatus from writing. "That first workshop opened my eyes to the possibilities inherent in my own work, a sort of affirmation that this whole writing schtick was more than just in my head," she says.

As that first workshop session wrapped up, Jay Lake, one of the pros assigned to critique her work, told her, "Don't [screw] this up." That admonishment stuck with her and remains her favorite takeaway from the experience.

"Until my first Fairwood workshop, all I'd ever heard was 'You're a great writer!' " That's flattering, but not helpful, Sandra says. "None of these people were writers. The Fairwood workshops gave me my first taste of writer to writer critique, a much more valuable experience than hearing 'You're great!' all the time."

To grow as a writer, you need to hear the hard truths about what's not working in your story as well as the praise for what you're doing right, she says.

"There is a difference between someone reading your work and someone critiquing your work. If you want a reader who says 'Love it!' and then forgets the story 15 seconds later, then don't bother with Fairwood," Sandra says. But "If you want someone who can take your story apart, show you how, why, and where, and then cheer you on for the rewrite, sign up and take that next step with your writing."

If you'd like to take that next step yourself, you'll find the guidelines for our upcoming workshop at Norwescon 41 here.

Sandra's most recent stories include "For," which opened the CAST OF WONDERS podcast's Banned Book Week event for 2017, and "Resistance on a Park Bench, With Stale Bread and Ducks," in the August 2017 issue of MYTHIC DELERIUM.  You can find out more about her through her occasional blog ramblings.

2018 Norwescon Workshop Guidelines Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for the Writers' Workshop at Norwescon 41 on March 29-April 1, 2018, are now available!  If you've participated in the workshop since 2015, or inquired about the workshop within the last two years, you should have received an email about our updated guidelines.  If not, please visit the Norwescon website.

We've made some changes this year, so be sure to read our guidelines thoroughly.  The biggest one to keep in mind: All participants will be limited to a single workshop session.  We'll allow two short-short stories that together total no more than 4,000 words and will be critiqued together, but otherwise you may submit one short story of up to 8,000 words or a novel excerpt and synopsis totaling no more than 10,000 words.

Submissions are now open, with this year's deadline December 3, 2017. Now's a great time to finish that story you've been working on or draft a synopsis for your novel.

We're looking forward to seeing you and your best work this spring at Norwescon!

Norwescon 40, Fairwood Social

We're days away from Norwescon, April 13th-16th, and we hope your last minute plans are coming together gloriously!

As part of those plans, the Fairwood Writers would like to invite you to our Norwescon Writers' Workshop social on Saturday (April 15th) , 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Presidential Suite 1360.

But wait...what if I'm not part of the workshop? Fear not. The social is our opportunity to give back to the writing community, and we'd love for you to be there. Its a wonderful opportunity for you to meet fellow writers, learn about the workshop, or meet others from the local community.

We hope to see you there.

Countdown: Final Weeks

Get your manuscripts ready for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 40 next April!  We're counting down to our submissions deadline at midnight on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories and novel excerpts critiqued by professional writers and editors.  You'll find our guidelines here.

The clock is ticking!  We hope to see you and your work at Norwescon!

2017 Norwescon Workshop Guidelines Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for the Writers' Workshop at Norwescon 40 in April, 2017 are now available!  If you've participated in the workshop since 2014, or inquired about the workshop within the last two years, you should have received a copy of the guidelines in your email.  If not, visit the Norwescon website.

We've made some changes this year, so be sure to read our guidelines thoroughly.  The two main changes to keep in mind: Our maximum length for short fiction now is 8,000 words, and we now accept manuscripts in .docx format along with .rtf, .doc and .txt formats (but please, no PDFs!).

Submissions are now open, with this year's deadline December 4. Now's a great time to finish that story you've been working on or draft a synopsis for your novel.

We're looking forward to seeing you and your best work next April!

Countdown: Two Weeks To Go

Get your manuscripts ready for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 39 next March!  We're counting down to our submissions deadline at midnight on Sunday, Nov. 29.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories and novel excerpts critiqued by professional writers and editors.  You'll find our guidelines here.

The clock is ticking!  We hope to see you and your work at Norwescon!

2016 Norwescon Workshop Guidelines Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for the Writers' Workshop at Norwescon 39 in March, 2016 are now available!  If you've participated in the workshop since 2013, or inquired about the workshop within the last two years, you should have received a copy of the guidelines in your email.  If not, visit the Norwescon 39 website.

The deadline for this year is November 29. Now's a great time to finish that story you've been working on or draft up a synopsis for your novel. (Hint: see our previous post with synopsis-writing advice from Fairwood Writer Catherine Montrose.)

We're looking forward to seeing you and your best work next March!

Synopsis Advice

If you missed our special class for workshop participants at Norwescon 38, we've added a page with the instructor's notes.

You'll want to bookmark it -- especially if you're thinking of sending us a novel excerpt for our 2016 workshop!

Norwescon 38 Writers Workshop Guidelines Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for the Writers' Workshop at Norwescon 38 in April, 2015 are now available!  If you've participated in the workshop since 2012, or inquired about the workshop within the last two years, you should have received a copy of the guidelines in your email.  If not, visit the Norwescon 38 website.

Here are the basics:

• In most circumstances, you can submit 2 pieces, no more than one of which may be a novel excerpt, and neither may be more than 10,000 words (18,000 words combined).
• Submissions are due November 30, 2014.  By around mid-December, we confirm whether we'll be able to place one or both of your submission into a workshop.  (Historically, we've accepted 99% of submissions. But we've operated at capacity the last few years, and the con's guest of honor next year is a big name. So things might get tight. The guidelines lay out how we'll handle capacity issues.)
• We offer both individual and round-robin style critique sessions.  Check our guidelines for details.
• You must have a con membership to participate, and we strongly encourage you to buy one as soon as we confirm that your story's been accepted. (See "big name guest" concerns above. Plus, memberships are pretty cheap right now--they'll be pricier closer to the con.)
• Got questions? First, read the guidelines. And if you still have questions, email us at the address included at the very end.

Don't worry if you haven't participated in a critique or workshop before, or if you don't feel that your work is perfect.  Writers at all levels are welcome to submit to the workshop!

Stay tuned! We'll be posting periodic updates about workshop submissions, our annual party, learning opportunities, and more.

Come Join Us at Norwescon (Part 2)

When you're at Norwescon next week (April 17-20), be sure to stop by our Saturday afternoon social!

You don't have to be part of the workshop already--come and find out about us and our workshop for next year, bond with fellow writers, or make connections to set up your own local critique group.

And of course, this year's workshop participants are also welcome!

Refreshments and writer camaraderie provided.

Saturday, April 19
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Presidential Suite (Room 1360)

Deadline Approaching

Get your manuscripts ready for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 37 next April!  We're counting down to our submissions deadline at midnight on Sunday, Dec. 1.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories and novel excerpts critiqued by professional writers and editors.  You'll find our guidelines here.

The clock is ticking!  We hope to see you and your work at Norwescon! 

Start Planning For Our Next Writers' Workshop

The guidelines for our writers' workshop at Norwescon 37 on April 17-20, 2014, are now available!  If you've participated in one of our previous workshops, or inquired about them, you should already have received a notice.  If not, please visit the Norwescon website for our guidelines.

Here are the basics:

• In most circumstances we accept 2 pieces from any one person, only one of which may be a novel excerpt, and neither of which may be more than 10,000 words.
• Submissions will be critiqued in private, live sessions at Norwescon in 2014.  Most sessions use 4 critquers who are professional guests at the convention (almost always professionally published genre writers).
• We have certain requirements for submissions, including that you use proper manuscript format (and we WILL critique your format), send a cover letter, and that all stories be completed.
• Our deadline is VERY EARLY: December 1, 2013.  So if you'd like to submit, get hopping!  We set the deadline as late as we can each year and are not able to accept late submissions.
• We fill all the slots we can handle every year, so if you want to participate, we encourage to you to submit as early as possible.

  
Don't worry if you haven't been to a critique before, or if you don't feel that your work is perfect.  Writers at all levels are welcome to submit to the workshop! 

Counting Down

Get your manuscripts ready for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 36 next March!  Our submissions deadline is just over a week away, at midnight on Sunday, Dec. 2.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to have your fantasy, science fiction and horror short stories and novel excerpts critiqued by professional writers and editors.  Our guidelines are available at http://www.norwescon.org/program/writers-workshop/

 

Writers' Workshop Guidelines Now Available

We are pleased to announce that the guidelines for the writers' workshop at Norwescon 36 on March 28-31, 2013, are now available!  If you participated in our recent workshops at Westercon or Norwescon, or inquired about them, you should already have received a notice.  If not, please visit the Norwescon site: http://www.norwescon.org/program/writers-workshop/

Here are the basics:

• In most circumstances we accept 2 pieces from any one person, only one of which may be a novel excerpt, and neither of which may be more than 10,000 words.
• Submissions will be critiqued in private, live sessions at Norwescon in 2013.  Most sessions use 4 critquers who are professional guests at the convention (almost always professionally published genre writers).
• We have certain requirements for submissions, including that you use proper manuscript format (and we WILL critique your format), send a cover letter, and that all stories be completed.
• Our deadline is VERY EARLY: December 2, 2012.  So if you'd like to submit, get hopping!  We set the deadline as late as we can each year and are not able to accept late submissions.
• We fill all the slots we can handle every year, so if you want to participate, we encourage to you to submit as early as possible.

Don't worry if you haven't been to a critique before, or if you don't feel that your work is perfect.  Writers at all levels are welcome to submit to the workshop! 

Westercon Writers Workshop -- Update

We are pleased to announce that all manuscripts and workshop schedules for Westercon 65 Workshop participants have been distributed.  Thanks much to participants and volunteers who've already confirmed receipt of their materials.  If you submitted to or volunteered for the workshop and have NOT received your manuscript(s) and/or workshop schedule, please contact us at fairwoodwriters@gmail.com.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of space, we will not be hosting our regular social at Westercon.

If you missed this workshop and would like to be on our mailing list to be notified when we send out guidelines for our annual workshop at Norwescon, please contact us.  And remember, it's never too early to finish a manuscript for the workshop!  So if you don't have one yet, why not sit down and work on something right now...?

Announcing... the Writers' Workshop at Westercon 65

We're pleased to announce that we will be running the Writers' Workshop at Westercon 65 in Seatac from July 5-8, 2012.

The guidelines have not yet been posted to the Westercon website (but we hear they'll be up soon).  Until then, you can find them right here.

Because we have less lead time to oraganize and a different roster of attending pros, we will be accepting fewer manuscripts for this workshop.  We will accept only one submission per writer, and manuscripts should not be over 8,000 words.  All short stories will be scheduled for round robin sessions, and all novel excerpts for individual sessions. 

The deadline for the Westercon 65 Writers' Workshop is April 29, 2012. 

Norwescon 35 Writers Workshop - Update #2

As of this morning, all schedules and manuscripts have been mailed to our participants (both the writers who submitted, and the pros who will critique manuscripts). 

If you are a writer who did not receive your workshop schedule, OR if you received a schedule but did not receive a handbook or (for Round Robin participants and pros) did not recieve manuscripts along with your schedule, please let us know ASAP.

This year, we scheduled 28 individual manuscript sessions, 2 individual sessions for short-shorts which included 2 stories per session, and 5 Round Robin sessions, each including 3 writers and their manuscripts. This is a record number of sessions and required record numbers of volunteer hours from our professional critiquers. 

We will also be hosting a social for our workshop participants and anyone interested in the workshop. The social will be Saturday afternoon from 1:30 until 3:30 in the Presidential Suite.

The marvelous wonder duo Ken Scholes and J. A. Pitts will leading one teaching workshop this year which will be held Saturday afternoon. Email us if you're interested in attending!