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Starting & Completing That Book
Admit it—you have a book lurking in your soul. It’s a good book that would entertain, educate, and benefit many readers. The one failing with this book is that you can’t seem to get it organized and on paper. Often the hardest part of getting your work published is getting it written in the first place.
This course is a step-by-step procedure for organizing your thoughts into a document. You will learn how to take your basic book concept and divide it into several logical and manageable segments. With discipline and a reasonable writing schedule that you create), you can make the writing process work for you. In addition, you will learn how to market your book as you continue to write it. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up now and get started.
Instructor: Gene Perret worked as a television comedy writer and producer for over 30 years. He earned 3 Emmys for his work on The Carol Burnett Show, and was head-writer for Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller. He has also published 40 books. More about Gene Perret
8 Tuesdays
Sept 14 – Nov 2, 2010
6:30 – 8:30pm
Boys and Girls Club
1980 E. Avenida de las Flores
Thousand Oaks
(next to Los Cerritos Middle School)
Learning Center classroom
Cost: $125
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Book Publishing
This course will focus on the important areas of how to research, contact and sell to Book Publishers or agents. Instructor will focus on information and resources necessary to help authors find the right publisher for each book. In addition, course will cover the correct way to contact publishers, tips on writing query letters and book proposals, and suggestions for the proper etiquette and effective means of dealing with publishers or agents. This course is appropriate for students who have completed the course “Starting and Completing That Book” or for students who have started a manuscript on their own. Topics covered in this course are limited to working with a publishable manuscript and will not deal with the writing process per se.
Instructor: Gene Perret worked as a television comedy writer and producer for over 30 years. He earned 3 Emmys for his work on The Carol Burnett Show, and was head-writer for Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller. He has also published 40 books. More about Gene Perret
8 Wednesdays
Nov 10, 2010– Jan 19, 2011
(No class Nov 24, Dec 22, Dec 29)
6:30 – 8:30pm
Conejo Valley Adult School
Room 5
Cost: $125
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Breaking into
Article Writing
Do you have what it takes to succeed as a writer? If you have a way with words, love to dig beneath the surface to get the real story, and are a stickler for details and deadlines—then yes, you can! Whether you want to break into article writing as a full- or part-time vocation, or merely a hobby, there are steps to take and rules to follow. Join this class to learn these rules and to discover how the recession and digital world have affected the profession. Learn to write a letter that gets an editor’s attention and how to figure out an editor’s needs and the magazine’s style. Find out what types of writing are the most popular and how to break into your target publications. This class is for you if you have the desire to see your name in print but lack the basics of how to get started.
Instructor: Maryann Hammers is a widely published, award-winning writer and editor who specializes in health, fitness, nutrition and travel. Her work has appeared in Sunset, Shape, and 805 Living. She has led writing workshops and taught classes for CSUN, College of the Canyons, and Learning Tree University.
4 Wednesdays
Sept 22 – Oct 13, 2010
6:30 – 9:00pm
Room 5
Cost: $85
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Creative Writing Workshop
Explore your personal story through a new creative writing workshop. Use a variety of techniques to find your voice. The class offers exercises in creative expression, improvisation, visualization, and spontaneous writing. Journal writing, class assignments, and at-home writing projects launch you on a journey of discovery. No previous experience required. Students may write essays, short stories, a novel, a play, or a one-person show. The most fascinating stories can often come from daily life. Bring pen and paper to class and wear comfortable clothes.
Instructor: Kathleen Rogan is an artist and a writer and creator of one-woman shows. She performs regularly at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles.
8 Fridays
Sept 24 - Nov 12, 2010
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Conejo Valley Adult School
Room 5
Cost: $125 + $10 material fee payable to instructor
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Self-Publish Your Book
Have you written a book that publishers won't look at because it's "unsolicited"? Then keep your creative rights and launch into the hottest trend in the publishing world: Self-Publishing. This workshop will discuss the various options of self-publishing and how to market your book after publication.
Instructor: Heather McPhaul is a writer who has self-published a novel, Raggedy Ann Heart, and a memoir, Fire in the Hole: A Year in the Life of the World's Sorriest Stuntwoman.
Saturday, Sept 11, 2010
10:00am – 1:00pm
Conejo Valley Adult School
Room 5
Cost: $35 plus $10 material fee payable to the instructor
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Introduction to Screenwriting
Do you have that high concept blockbuster movie or that quirky indie film burning a hole in your soul? Learn how to tell your story in a visceral, visual way that will leave studio readers begging for more. Bring your idea, outline or partial script and be prepared to make some progress!
Instructor: Paula Young-Libby is a writer-producer who has a B.A. in Communications from Loyola-Marymount University and was a participant in the prestigious UCLA Graduate Producer’s Program. A professional screenwriter, she was a finalist in the 1994 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Her screenplays include work-for-hire rewrites as well as original works and novel adaptations. In addition to several awards for screenwriting, she has had won awards for both poetry and short fiction. Her latest short story, “Feedback” is part of the 2008-2009 Pantechnicon Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror anthology.
8 Wednesdays
Sept 22 – Nov 10, 2010
7:30 - 9:30pm
Conejo Valley Adult School
Room 3
Cost: $125 plus $10 materials fee payable to instructor
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Beginning Writing: Finding Your Voice
Have you thought to yourself: “That would make a great story!” but were daunted by the idea of actually writing it down? Or have you started a story, a poem, or a screenplay, and have stalled out for one reason or another? This class will teach you how to combat your inner critic get the fire and heart that’s in your head into your fiction. Learn how to identify the right medium for your story, how to avoid the most common pitfalls beginning writers make, and how to find your own authentic voice and make your fiction shine. Develop your poetry, song, short fiction, novel, screenplay or even your online serials in a safe and positive setting, with directed exercises and helpful feedback designed to release the creative powerhouse lurking in you.
Instructor: Paula Young-Libby is a writer-producer who has a B.A. in Communications from Loyola-Marymount University and was a participant in the prestigious UCLA Graduate Producer’s Program. A professional screenwriter, she was a finalist in the 1994 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. Her screenplays include work-for-hire rewrites as well as original works and novel adaptations. In addition to several awards for screenwriting, she has had won awards for both poetry and short fiction. Her latest short story, “Feedback” is part of the 2008-2009 Pantechnicon Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror anthology.
8 Tuesdays
Sept 14 – Nov 2, 2010
12:30 – 2:30pm
Conejo Valley Adult School
Room 5
Cost: $125 plus $10 materials fee payable to instructor
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