Big Sur Children's Writing Workshop

For the past three years writers have come to Big Sur for an intensive weekend workshop designed for adult novels, young adult novels, and narrative nonfiction. The workshop have been very successful so we're excited to continue to offer this workshop.

If you have a manuscript in progress our workshop will provide you with the tools you need to prepare your work for publication. Add the magic and inspiration of the Big Sur setting, gourmet meals, a professional and positive faculty and we promise you will have an unforgettable, insightful, fun and creative weekend.

Through intimate personal meetings, small-group evaluations, panel discussions and much sharing of information, our goal is to have you leave Big Sur with the knowledge and advice on how to get your work ready for submission and acceptance by agents and publishers. To achieve this we have recruited top agents, editors and authors from the fiction part of the publishing field who are most instructive, supportive and giving to new writers.

FACULTY

PRICING ALTERNATIVES

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

REGISTRATION FORM

SCHEDULE

THINGS TO BRING

DIRECTIONS/HOW TO GET HERE

TESTIMONIALS

FACULTY (more to be listed soon):

Andrea Brown: President of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc. since 1981, author of
WRITERS’ AND ARTISTS’ HIDEOUTS: Great Getaways for Seducing the Muse,
published numerous articles for Writer’s Digest and other publications.
She is the executive director of the Big Sur Writing Workshops.

Laura Rennert: Laura Rennert is a Senior Agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She specializes in all categories of children’s books, from picture books to young adult, fiction and nonfiction. She also specializes in literary fiction, women’s fiction, crossover fiction, mysteries and thrillers, and narrative nonfiction. Some of her deals include a middle-grade/YA series she sold to Random House for over half a million dollars (by a Big Sur attendee), a six-figure YA deal to Knopf, two six-figure deals for works of literary fiction to Doubleday, and a film deal to Nickelodeon/Paramount. Laura has a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Virginia, and has taught at the University of Virginia, Osaka University of Foreign Studies in Japan, and Santa Clara University. She is the author of a picture book, BUYING, TRAINING, AND CARING FOR YOUR DINOSAUR, forthcoming with Knopf.

Barry Eisler, Author of several best selling novels, he lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area and travels frequently to Japan and other parts of Asia. Rain Storm (Choke Point) won the Barry Award and the Mystery Ink Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, and the Rain books have been included in numerous other "Best Of" lists, including those of the San Jose Mercury News, Publishers Weekly, Ft. Myers News-Press, Deadly Pleasures, and the San Francisco Chronicle. The books have been translated into nearly twenty languages and have been optioned for film by Barrie Osborne, Oscar-winning producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Eric Adams, is a producer, director, screenwriter, and novelist. He is the author of the suspense/thrillers Plot Twist (St. Martin's Press) and Birdland (Hodder & Stoughton). An award-winning investigative journalist, Eric's work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, Wired and many other publications. He co-wrote and produced the feature film My Suicide (2006).

Sal Glynn has edited and otherwise produced more than 300 books of fiction, humor, self-help, cookery, management, and social issues for publishers on both coasts. He worked as a managing editor for several publishers in the San Francisco Bay Area until becoming a freelance editor and book midwife. Sal has been on the faculty at the Big Sur Fiction Writer's Workshop and the Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference, is a contributor to FOCUS: Fine Art Photography magazine and the author of The Dog Walked Down the Street: An Outspoken Guide for Writers Who Want to Publish (Cypress House, 2006).

Other faculty will be added accordingly to keep small ratio of writers to faculty.

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PRICING :

• The entire weekend package is $ 640.00. This includes a shared room at the Big Sur Lodge, all meals (incl. Tax and grats), the entire workshop, and reception Friday evening.

• Shared accommodations mean two participants per room. If you would like a private room, there is an additional $125.00 cost for the weekend.

• For a guest not participating in the workshop, but sharing a room including all meals and the reception, the cost is $ 340.00

• For locals, not needing a room at the Big Sur Lodge, but attending the workshop including all meals and the reception, the price is $ 380.00.

• Previous participants receive a 10% discount.

• Cancellation policy: 75% REFUND IF CANCELLED TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO STARTING DATE.
AFTER THAT NO REFUND.

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• SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Registration form (pdf)

Full payment can be sent by mail to:

"Writing Workshops" Henry Miller Library, Highway One, Big Sur, CA 93920
or by calling 831-667-2574.
We will also e-mail the registration form to you if you like.

Your manuscript submission will not be considered until payment has been received. You will receive immediate confirmation of registration upon receipt of payment.

• The first two chapters, or first 20 pages must be submitted by:

• FEBRUARY 23, 2007.

• Send submissions for evaluation asap and definitely before the above date to:

Andrea Brown, 1076 Eagle Drive, Salinas, Ca 93905.
Mark envelope: “Big Sur Submission.”

• Works may not be accepted if the content falls outside the faculty area of expertise, or if the director feels the work and writer would not benefit from attending the workshop. Works in progress (unfinished) will be acceptable. You will be notified as soon as possible, with a full refund of registration fee, should your work not be approved. Notification of acceptance or non-acceptance is via email. The submitted material will be used by faculty for individual meetings during conference and will not be returned nor should it be counted as one of the copies you should bring to workshop.

• Register early. We sell out and keep the workshop small for personal attention.

• Bring 5 copies of what you plan to work on at workshop. There may be time to work on more than one project so feel free to bring a second manuscript. (you can also bring a whole manuscript with two or three areas to work on not forgetting to bring five copies of that extra work as well).

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• THINGS TO BRING:

*Rooms have no TV, radio or alarm clocks. Plan to write. Bring pads, laptops (printers are available). Bring flashlight, comfortable clothes and shoes, rain gear. Bring alarm clock. There is no wake-up service.

• SCHEDULE: Details TBA. Start time for the Workshop is 2 PM on Friday, December 1. The workshop ends about 2 PM on Sunday.

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HOW TO GET HERE

From: San Francisco, CA
To: Big Sur Lodge, Big Sur, CA

Take Highway 101 South to Highway 156 West. Connect to Highway 1 South. Continue through Monterey/Carmel. Our lodge is 26 miles south of Carmel in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Turn left into the park and follow the signs to the Lodge. For the most scenic route, take Highway 1 down the coast from San Francisco. Distance: 150 miles

From: Los Angeles, CA
To: Big Sur Lodge, Big Sur, CA

Beginning at Los Angeles, CA, take Highway 101 North to San Luis Obispo. Connect to Highway 1 North all the way to Big Sur. Turn right into Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. After entering the park, please follow the signs to the Lodge. Distance: 311 miles

To view a comprehensive map of the Central Coast region visit the
Big Sur Chamber of Commerce website.

Closest airport is Monterey Airport

Others that are within 3 hours driving time are San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco airports.

We will send out e-mail to all participants to facilitate carpooling/car rental sharing as we get closer to the start date. In the past many have taken advantage of this.

Testimonials from participants in previous Writing Workshops:

"I love the sense of community here. It reminds me of the level of professionalism that is needed, i.e. time to work: time to network, talk and enjoy the process of writing. Great! Great! Great!"

"No wonder people are coming all the way from Brazil!"

"The best part was the intensity! The editors/agents are so down to earth & accessible! I like that serious writers were here to discuss work. It raised the standards for people.”

“Diverse and insightful critique from colleagues and opportunity to meet and gather insights from people in the industry.”

“The best part is that you make us work!”

"Multiple critique sessions worked perfectly!”

"Having a professional in the field to ask questions of - very specifically - regarding how work fits in publishing world was the best part."

"I was actually surprised that the rooms where so comfortable and the food was marvellous, The Best!"

"Superb - The absence of distractions make this conference so much more productive."

"This conference felt like family."

"I achieved what I came for - to solve story problems."

"Excellent."

"Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!"

"I'll be back!"

"Exceptional!"

"Awesome."

"Great."

"Lodging excellent, location spectacular."

“The food was great! I was completely, and pleasantly surprised.”