Legal Fiction Writing Seminar 2003

Legal Fiction Writing Seminar 2003

2nd Annual Legal Fiction Writing For Lawyers
October 17-19, 2003 Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort Falmouth, Cape Cod, MA	Registration Information Registration Form Faculty Schedule PDF Version
Taught by NY Times best selling authors:
Lisa Scottoline, Esquire
author of Everywhere that Mary Went, Final Appeal, Running from the Law, Legal Tender, Rough Justice, Mistaken Identity, Moment of Truth, The Vendetta Defense, Courting Trouble and Dead Ringer due to be released Summer 2003
Stephen Horn, Esquire
author of In Her Defense, and Law of Gravity

And featuring 8 literary agents looking for new attorney-authors

Executive Summary

Legal Fiction Writing For Lawyers has been designed to give aspiring lawyer authors what they have never had before: hands-on and practical training on how to write legal fiction and get published.

To deliver this training, SEAK has put together a world-class faculty. This faculty features two New York Times best-selling attorney-authors, Lisa Scottoline, Esquire and Stephen Horn, Esquire, who will be teaching the course. The faculty also features New York literary agents looking for new lawyer-authors.

Like all SEAK training, Legal Fiction Writing For Lawyers will be hands-on, lively, and interactive. Attendees will have the opportunity to get all their questions answered. There will be numerous writing exercises and attendees will have an opportunity to get their writing reviewed and evaluated.

The program will take place in a gorgeous setting � The Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort and Conference Center located in Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort offers almost 700' of private Cape Cod beach and ample amenities.

Space is limited for this special seminar. It is sure to sell out. Early registration is highly recommended.

Topics Covered

Personal Success Stories: Lisa Scottoline and Stephen Horn

Mechanics of Writing in Depth: Premises vs. Plot, Ideas, Settings and Atmosphere, Showing vs. Telling, Points of View

Character in Depth: Naming and Describing, Back Story, History, Motivation, Relationships, Conflict, Dialogue, Minor Characters and Evolution of Characters

Plot in Depth: Building Scenes, Pacing, Developing, Suspense, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks

Getting Published: Agents and Editors, Writing a Synopsis and Query Letter, Acquisition and Publication Process, Manuscript Appearance, Ancillary Markets, and Book Tours

Writing Exercises and Group Discussion

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have a manuscript to attend or benefit from this course?

No - All you need is a desire or interest in writing.

If I have never written fiction before, is this course for me?

Yes - This course will help both the new and experienced writer.

Will this course help me get started?

Attendance is the first step to getting started. Don't put it off.

Will this course be work or fun?

It will be lively, interactive, and fascinating. You will "work" as much as you want to.

Will I get a chance to meet and talk to Lisa Scottoline and Stephen Horn?

Yes - They will both be at the course for three days and available to
talk with you.

Seminar Benefits

Network with faculty, colleagues and agents looking for new attorney-authors

Learn from your peers who have made the transition from practicing lawyers to international best-selling authors

Gain practical writing experience

Have your writing reviewed and critiqued by a faculty member

Soup to nuts fiction writing: from naming characters to getting an agent and getting published

Gorgeous location

Breakfast and lunch with Lisa and Stephen each day

This is the only course of its kind in the United States

What Last Year's Participants Had To Say About this SEAK program...

"An excellent resource for aspiring writers-rarely do people who can do things, teach
it well, and Lisa & Stephen can and are entertaining at it!"
"Wonderful-and the agents were helpful and encouraging."
"Motivational, energizing, inspiring, and informative."
"Authors did everything to be accessible to the audience."
"Breakout group with agents was great."
"Authors were individually excellent-dynamic together."
"Very professional and to the point-definitely for lawyers."
"Best time I ever had in a room with a bunch of lawyers."
"Didn't want to take the breaks I enjoyed the sessions so much!"
"The intelligence and total lack of pretension of two terrific people carried the program."

Faculty

Lisa Scottoline, Esquire

Lisa Scottoline is the author of best-selling legal thrillers that draw on her insider's experience as a trial lawyer at a prestigious law firm and also her judicial clerkships in the state and federal systems of justice. Scottoline won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for excellence in suspense fiction for her second thriller, Final Appeal, and her first novel, Everywhere that Mary Went, was nominated for the same high honor. Subsequent novels, Running from the Law , Legal Tender , and Rough Justice , were national bestsellers and received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly. She is also the author of three New York Times bestsellers The Vendetta Defense, Moment of Truth, and Mistaken Identity - a book that was also chosen by the Coca-Cola Company in their campaign to promote the pleasures of reading (excerpts of the novel were distributed with nine million packages of Diet Coke). Courting Trouble was published by HarperCollins Publishers in June 2002 and her latest novel, Dead Ringer, will be published in the summer of 2003. Scottoline graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from its Law School, where she won the Henry Loughlin Prize for Legal Ethics upon graduation. Scottoline's novels have been translated into over twenty-five languages. A native of Philadelphia, she lives with her family in the Philadelphia area and invites readers to visit her website: www.scottoline.com.

Stephen Horn, Esquire
Stephen Horn was born in the Bronx, New York, and received an engineering degree from Rutgers University. He commanded an infantry company of the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. As a prosecutor in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, he tried criminal cases and participated in some of the department's most famous investigations, including the killing of four Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The first piece of fiction of any kind Horn wrote, In Her Defense, became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into eight languages. In Her Defense utilizes his experiences as a prosecutor and defense attorney. Law of Gravity was released in the summer of 2002. Now in the private practice of law, he lives outside Washington, DC, with his wife and two children.

Steven Babitsky, Esq.

Steven Babitsky, Esq. was a personal injury attorney for twenty years. He is the co-author of many works in the medical-legal arena. His is the co-author of ten books.

Beth Wechsler, MSW

Beth Wechsler, MSW brings a combination of writing and group facilitation skills to the workshop. Nationally known for her books about high-risk youth, her stories have been published in Yankee, eBay Magazine, The Boston Globe, Consumer Reports and regularly in Cape Cod newspapers.

Agents: Literary Agents who work in commercial fiction and are looking for new attorney-authors will be present. This year we have more than doubled the number of our agents.

*Regina Brooks is the founder of Serendipity Literary Agency, a boutique agency representing a diverse base of award-winning clients in the areas of adult fiction.
*William Clark is an Agent at William Clark Associates and is most interested agenting mainstream literary fiction.
*Jeff Herman is an Agent at the Jeff Herman Agency and has brought nearly 500 books to publication. He is the author of the industry "Bible," the Writer's Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents.
*Laura Langlie is a Literary Agent who is interested in representing books that appeal to her as a reader. Last year she sold 30 titles.
*Peter Miller is an Agent at PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc. He is most interested in agenting action/suspense fiction, thrillers, and legal thrillers.
*Colleen Mohyde is an Agent at the Doe Coover Agency in Winchester, Massachusetts, where she represents an eclectic range of fiction and nonfiction. Colleen was an Editor with Little Brown & Company prior to becoming an agent.
*Jean Naggar is a Literary Agent at the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency and is most interested in agenting strong, well-written mainstream fiction, literary fiction, contemporary, and suspense.
*Joe Veltre is a Literary Agent and Rights Director at Carlisle & Company. Previously, he was Director of Development at Miramax Films and Senior Editor at St. Martin's Press and HarperCollins. Joe is interested in agenting commercial fiction and thrillers.

Schedule
Friday, October 17, 2003
7:00-8:30 PM	Reception Personal Success Stories: Lisa Scottoline and Stephen Horn Discussion with Authors/Seminar Leaders
Saturday, October 18, 2003
7:30-8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00-10:00	Mechanics of Writing: In Depth Mechanics of Writing: In Depth Premises vs. Plot, Ideas and Where You Get Them, Setting and Atmosphere, Showing vs. Telling, Points of View Writing Exercise Group Discussion
10:00-10:15	Break/Networking Opportunity
10:15-12:15	Character in Depth Naming and Describing Your Characters, Back Story, History of Characters, Motivation, Relationships, Conflict, Dialogue, Minor Characters, Evolution of Characters Throughout the Book
12:15-1:30	Lunch (Provided) with Faculty
1:30-2:30	Character in Depth (Continued) Writing Exercise Group Discussion
2:30 - 2:45	Break/Networking Opportunity
2:45-5:15	Plot in Depth Building Scenes, Developing Suspense, Pacing, Crisis and Resolution, Opening Hooks Writing Exercise Group Discussion
5:15-6:30	Book Signing Lisa Scottoline and Stephen Horn
Sunday, October 19, 2003
7:30-8:00	Continental Breakfast
8:00-10:00	Plot in Depth Subplots, Handling Transitions, Starting and Ending Chapters, Suspense and Surprise, Themes, Flashbacks Writing Exercise Group Discussion
10:00-10:15	Break and Networking Opportunity
10:15-12:15	Getting Published Agents and Editors, How to Write a Synopsis and Query Letter, Publication Process, Manuscript Appearances and Mechanics, Ancillary Markets, Book Tours Group Discussion
12:15-1:30	Lunch (Provided) with Faculty
1:30-3:00	Research, Editing, and Revising: In Depth How to Research Cost Effectively, Editing Process, When is Enough Revising Enough
3:00-3:15	Break and Networking Opportunity
3:15-5:00	Writer's Problems and How to Overcome Them: In Depth Writer's Block, Distractions, Fears, Leaving the Nest (Spouses Invited)
5:00	Concluding Remarks