Seminars

There are two kinds of Writing the Novel seminars: LIVE and ONLINE. The Online seminar will not be available until late spring.

Mr. Smoke has been teaching a course (Writing the Novel) at the Palos Verdes Art Center for the last year. Even though he has spoken at seminars and at colleges in the past he has never given a multi-week course before this year. It was based on his course Stephen Smoke’s Mystery Writing Course, first published in 1983. Since that time Mr. Smoke has written and published twenty books, most of them novels. He has just published Stephen Smoke’s Writing the Novel Workbook, and will sell in exclusively on this site.

LIVE One-Day Writing Workshop Seminar

Mr. Smoke will also offer the Writing the Novel course as a one-day seminar. The one-day seminar will include the following:

Turn ideas into chapters and chapters into a finished book. Focus is on the two most difficult steps of novel writing: getting started…and finishing. Learn plot and character development, pacing, sustaining interest/tension, editing and getting your manuscript ready for the marketplace.

This seminar is for writers who want the motivation and discipline that come from making a commitment to writing. Learn advanced “tips and tricks” from someone who has actually published major lead-title novels through major New York publishers. The workshop focuses on developing the student’s work beyond the initial stages and includes writing exercises specifically designed by Mr. Smoke to stimulate creativity. Professional, constructive criticism makes this class indispensable for writers looking to take that next step.

Perfect for Writers Groups or Book Clubs whose members are aspiring authors.

Cost:
The cost is $95 for the day, twelve student minimum, 25 student maximum. If you live in the Southern California area, there is no travel fee required. If you live outside the Southern California area, a travel fee that includes transportation and one-night’s lodging is additional. SPECIAL NOTE: If you live in the Chicago area, Mr. Smoke may waive the transportation and lodging fee because he travels to the Chicago area on a regular basis.

ONLINE Writing the Novel Seminar

The online seminar version of the course is a video presentation broken up into eight separate videos that correspond to chapters in the Writing the Novel Workbook. It will be on-demand. Therefore, students can do the course at their convenience. The online seminar will not be available until the late spring of ’07 and the cost for that seminar will also be $95.