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IT'S WEEKEND AFTER NEXT!
My Lord, it's almost here! The 2006 WIZARDS
OF
WORDS WRITERS' CONFERENCE is less than two
weeks away. Do
you realize that? Incredible!
So have you sent in your registration information for
the
conference? You can always email the form and pay
with Paypal on our site to expedite the
process. We only have room for 100 people, so it'll
be first come, first serve. We sure wouldn't want to
turn you away.
If you do pay your registration fee, and then find
you can't
make it to the conference, we'll refund your money.
So if you're putting it off till the last minute to see if
you
can go or not, or you plan to just walk-in that
morning, I'd suggest you send in the info
right away, anyway. And of course that'll help us in
counting
heads in order to make sure we've provided for
everybody.
Aside from that . . . are you ready to learn something
new and even share what you know with your
peers in Kansas City? We've some excellent
workshops lined up for you
and some eclectic speakers and leaders.
Take a look at the conference information and the
workshop schedule. And take a look below at some
of
the sights to see in KC. Boy, howdy! (as a
friend of mine would say) Are we gonna
have us some fun or not!?
See you in 11 days! My bags are already
packed!
Rebecca Buckley, Editor
Founder/CEO
P.S. Don't forget . . . if you come a day early
(Friday), you can tour Hallmark Center with us at
1:00 p.m. (change of time from 3 to 1), then
we're heading for the Crown Center to shop, etc.,
before having an early-bird dinner at a cafe there.
After that it's back to the hotel for a get-together
hosted by our Pres, Caryn Bruer.
And at lunch on Saturday, between sessions, we're
treating you to a picnic lunch at the Lewis and Clark
Historical Park on the river - where we'll be given a
guided tour by Rolland
Love, a Kansas writer. He'll talk about the
development of Kaw Point park and the history of
Lewis and Clark’s stay at the confluence of the
Kansas and Missouri Rivers in 1804.
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CONFERENCE LOCATION |
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THE SITE OF THE 2006 WOW WRITERS'
CONFERENCE IS:
COMFORT INN AND SUITES -
DOWNTOWN
770 Admiral Blvd.
KC, KS 64106
816-472-
8808
The Comfort Inn & Suites® Downtown is
conveniently
located two miles from the Kemper Arena/American
Royal Center indoor facility. This Kansas City hotel is
minutes from the River Market shopping and
entertainment area, Municipal Auditorium multi-
purpose venue, Crown Center entertainment district,
Hale Arena and the Kansas City Zoo.
Additional nearby points of interest include:
- Union Station Kansas City entertainment and
cultural
- Arrowhead Stadium (home of the Kansas City
football team)
- Oceans of Fun tropically themed water park
- Worlds of Fun amusement park
- University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)
Kauffman Stadium (formerly Royals
Stadium)
baseball field and Smithville Lake are minutes away.
The Kansas City International Airport is 10 miles from
the hotel.
Kansas City offers an array of activities, family-
friendly attractions and events for all kinds of
visitors. Several museums and art galleries are near
the hotel. A variety of restaurants and cocktail
lounges are located in the surrounding area.
A warm welcome awaits guests as they arrive in the
lobby area. Start the day off right with a free
continental breakfast, featuring Belgian waffles,
biscuits and gravy, fruit, hot and cold cereals, boiled
eggs, bagels, Danishes and juices.
This Kansas City hotel offers additional amenities and
features like:
- Free wireless high-speed Internet
- Free local calls
- Free USA Today
- Pet-friendly hotel (stay fee applies)
The hotel is in the
Market
District, off I-29 and I-35. Book your rooms right
away to
ensure accommodations, and be sure to say you're
with the Wizards of Words
conference in order to receive the
following negotiated rates.
$67.99 per night - King or Double Queens
$87.99 King or Double Queen suites
REMEMBER NOW . . . you'll receive free continental
breakfasts, free shuttle
service to airport ( WOW drivers), and free
local attraction shuttle
when available.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION is $45
(was $35 before September 15 - too late now!
)
SATURDAY AWARDS DINNER is
$25
(Registration, Workshop and Contest Forms
may be downloaded through
the Links at the end of this newsletter and from our
website.)
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FROM THE PRESIDENT - Caryn Bruer |
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THE WIZARDS ARE COMIN' TO KANSAS CITY!
I am really excited about our upcoming conference.
While we are a new group, and just taking baby
steps, we are growing steadily. Membership is
increasing. Readership is increasing. Interest is
growing, too!
We are actually a unique writers' group, and we need
to focus on that, and use the advantage it gives us.
Most writing groups are local organizations that meet
once or twice a month and have short programs, and
critique groups. They may participate in larger
organizations that hold conferences or conventions
once a year. They may or may not send out
newsletters, either by snail-mail or email. So, what
they have is an opportunity to participate with their
group a dozen or so times per year.
Along came Wizards of Words! We are
an on-line writers' group as well as on land.
On line we "meet" every single day of the year...
twenty-four hours a day! Members are free to
participate at their leisure, in their pajamas if so
inclined, from the comfort of their own homes, at
whatever time of day is convenient for them.
Then we meet somewhere on land in America once a
year, to meet each other face to face, to share what
we've learned with "visitors", and to promote writing.
Did somebody say WOW!?
We have members from all four corners of America,
and international members, as well. We offer writing
exercises, critiques, reviews, information on agents,
publishers, contests, conferences, on numerous
literary subjects. Our members post about almost any
subject that comes to mind, with some of the best
(and worst) opinions on the face of the earth!
We encourage debate, without personal attacks, and
try to keep an open forum for everyone to enjoy.
Sometimes we go through a period of diversity, but
sometimes it takes a little bit of fertilizer to make
things grow. Right?
Now we are comin' to Kansas City, Missouri. None of
us
live there. We will be strangers to the city, but not
to the people. I have received numerous e-mails from
people in local groups there, offering information
about the city. Writing groups and organizations all
across this country have advertised our conference
on their websites and in their newsletters. And you
know what?... the warmth and welcome from all of
these fellow writers has validated our efforts.
The past year has been hectic and stressful for me,
and there were times when I gave in (a little
bit) to despair. But, then I would sit down in
front of this machine and open my email. As I read
the words of welcome and support and
encouragement that have come from many, many
different places, my spirit soared. It has all been
worth it! Great things lie ahead!
WOW is taking off! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Climb on
board and enjoy the ride with us!
Caryn Bruer
President
THIS SPECIAL ISSUE IS ALL ABOUT THE CONFERENCE!
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ERNEST DE L'AUTIN - Keynote Speaker |
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Ernest de l’Autin, Ean as known by
friends and associates, is currently an Independent
Consultant, Author, and Lecturer.
In the past twenty years he has authored or co-
authored over a dozen technical articles, edited at
least a dozen technical articles, and of recent has
completed two novels. He has three more novels
underway.
Ean holds a B.S. in Analytical Chemistry from Nicholls,
and a Masters +60 in Polymer Science from the
Polymer Institute at the University of Southern
Mississippi. He is also a certified Master Practitioner in
Neuro-Lingustic Programming and maintains an HRD
Certification from the University of Oklahoma. He has
worked in the US and internationally in a broad range
of responsibilities . . .
- beginning his career as a research scientist
- teaching as a university professor
- motivating high-risk teenagers
- and working in corporate America and moving
into management consulting
His journey has led him to the discovery that
writing
real life experience in fiction while using the art of
myth and metaphor can be an extraordinary manner
in which to share life lessons and specific perceptions.
Ean plans to talk about the all important
book proposal, in
depth.
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MARK WIRTZ - Keynote Speaker |
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Mark Wirtz: SELF-PUBLISHING,
UTILITY
PUBLISHING, TRADE HOUSE OR SMALL PRESS?
Mark will also be addressing the subject of
promotion . . . advertising, marketing, PR and
publicity - which he feels are synergistic elements
in 'promotion'. Some promotions, he feels, are
effective merely as info providers and attention-
getters that, in and by themselves, don't actually sell
(prompting a transaction) anything.
For instance, as a virtual unknown, an author could
put a splashy ad in the New York Times, and
all it would do at best is to arouse fleeting curiosity,
not much else.
He knows this topic of publishing houses could open a
can of worms if used as a venting ground against
specific publishers, and says "PLEASE don't go there.
Just keep it to the generics, and stick to just the
facts."
There are legitimate advantages and disadvantages
to publishing via a "utility publisher," which make for
ample, unbiased, material.
Small-/Boutique-/Speciality Market Presses -
legitimate, commercial houses that trade on the
same basis as major houses, except on a nano scale.
He'll be discussing the pro's and con's of small press,
based on personal experience, assisted by the
quoting of credible articles and essays.
Alsatian born, German raised, British educated, UK
auteur producer/composer/arranger Mark Wirtz ("...
one of the most influential and consequential
record
producers ever," Mojo Magazine) entered the
music
business as a late teenager in 1964, when EMI
Producer Norman Newell signed Mark as a solo pianist
("Mark Rogers and the Marksmen") and studio
arranger.
One year later, his interest having shifted from
performing to producing, Mark formed his own
production company (Colinio Productions) to
realize
his own musical visions and sound concepts. Even his
earliest recordings, including "A Touch Of Velvet - A
Sting Of Brass" by Mood Mosaic, "Lying Awake" by
Dany Chandelle, the "Ten Again" album featuring Russ
Loader and Bella Gonzales, "Even The Bravest Cry" by
Tony Crane, MW's own "Latin A Go-go LP (also
released as: Wirtz and Music) and Peanut's "I'm
Waiting For The Day," have in time become cult
classics and high priced items on the international
collector's market.
During the early 70's, after initially working for Denny
Cordell's L.A. based Shelter Records as associate
producer and mixing engineer ('Jessie, Wolf &
Wings,'
Jim Horn's 'Through The Eyes Of A Horn'), then
signing with Capitol Records as writer-artist-producer
('Balloon,' 'Hothouse Smiles'), Mark eventually
moved
on to produce, arrange and conduct hit recordings for
a diverse array of artists (often under the name of
Marc Peters to avoid Hollywood's notorious
pigeonholing), including Leon Russell, Helen Reddy
(in
association with Kim Fowley), Juice Newton,
Vicky
Leandros, Kim Carnes, John Valenti (#1 R&B
Hit), Tom
Bresh (#1 Country Hit) and Anthony Newley
(the
latter two in association with Jimmy Bowen). And
the
beat goes on and on . . . more info about Mark on his
web site . . .
Add published author and
stand-up comedian to his credits and you have a
very knowledgeable and
entertaining workshop leader!
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CARYN BRUER - Workshop |
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Caryn Bruer - THE BUSINESS OF
BECOMING A PUBLISHED AUTHOR
Caryn will discuss what it takes to create a saleable
work, and the tools to use to help your work reach
the desk of an agent or publisher, or any venue that
will pay you for your work.
Workshop includes a hands-on presentation to get
the audience involved in a “Game of
Perception”.
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CLAUDETTE MILNER - Workshop |
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Claudette Milner - IMPACT
WRITING
Claudette's focus is on the incorporation
of current events into mainstream fiction. Her
workshop will cover character
development, the ability to educate and entertain,
and how to target
your market audience.
Among Caludette's credits is her continual
interface
with middle school children, reaching out to them
with her "message-laden" fiction, teaching them how
to cope with today's problems and issues. She
works with schools, encouraging writing contests,
etc. She is sincerely dedicated to help our struggling
youth.
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DAVID S. ROSENBERG - Workshop |
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David S. Rosenberg - 2 Workshops
CREATIVE WRITING:
Motivation, Inspiration, Soaring!
David Rosenberg's workshop on creative writing
includes goal setting and personal motivation, since
all are closely linked together.
ADAPTING YOUR NOVEL TO FILM
His informal workshop is sure to be a bit of fun. He
feels
that since many of the authors attending the
conference dream of having their book made into a
movie, he'll select a book scene and direct a theater-
in-the-round impromptu stage play.
This requires three audience 'actors' to read the
character lines and one person to narrate what isn't
a character line. Perhaps he'll ask someone to provide
the sound effects as well. He'll convert one of his
scenes to a stage play format (3 pages) and
then we'll see what happens.
The results could range from the super-serious to the
hilarious.
He says the scene he has in mind has a
murder, but not to worry because he'll use a spoon
instead of a knife for a prop. Says it will be easier to
get volunteers that way.
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INA GOODLING- Workshop |
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Ina Goodling - SO YOU WANT TO
WRITE POETRY?
Ina will cover the different types and styles of poetry
and will lead excercises in writing short poems pulling
from your own experiences and feelings.
The importance of art work used in conjunction with
your writing will also be included in her session.
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REBECCA BUCKLEY - Workshop |
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Rebecca Buckley - 2
Workshops
There will be writing exercises and hands-on efforts
in
both workshops.
FREELANCE WRITING FOR MAGAZINES
1) subject choice
2) interviewing
3) writing the article
4) query letter
WRITING STAGE & SCREENPLAYS
1) basic technical components of a script
2) plot outline and scene placement
3) dialogue and
exposition
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STUDENT DISCOUNTS |
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STUDENT ADMISSION TO
CONFERENCE - $15
(with proof of ID)
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JOIN Wizards of Words! |
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STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS |
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STAFF:
Editor/Production: Rebecca
Buckley
Assistant Editor: Patricia
Barnhart
REGULAR BYLINES:
From the President, Caryn Bruer
From the Editor, Rebecca Buckley
For Better or Wirtz, Mark Wirtz
Curtain Time, Jim Buckley
Quotable Quotes, Ina
Goodling
Right-On Writing, David S.
Rosenberg
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