Rochester MN Writers Festival 2011 Press Release

Posted on February 21st, 2011

The third annual Rochester Writer’s Festival will take place on April 9 at Bethel Lutheran Church.  Writers will have the opportunity to participate in up to four 90-minute seminars and panel discussions, as well as the opportunity to have their own work critiqued by a local freelance editor.  The day culminates in a final networking event where writers have the opportunity to talk with instructors, local authors, freelancers, and each other about our biggest passion.

This year’s festival will feature keynote speaker Mike Kalmbach as he talks about how writers need craft, creativity, and community to succeed in today’s connected world.  Besides moonlighting as a freelance writer and editor, Mike Kalmbach also currently leads the Rochester Library Writing Group and is a founding member of the Rochester Writers Collaborative.  As a freelance editor, he has edited numerous full-length manuscripts as well as many more shorter works.  Mike is active as a blogger and on Twitter.  He also organizes monthly Writer’s Night Out events at area coffee shops so Rochester writers can network and grow through greater connections.

Classes will include topics like selling your work, how to write better fiction, writing children’s plays, and the five secret markers found in every good story.  Seminars will include topics on leveraging social media and what local editors are looking for in a story and pitch.  Critiques of an author’s submitted works will need to be submitted by March 18 in order to guarantee a proper evaluation.  Critiques are a separate charge.

Writers should contact Rochester Community Education to sign up for a half-day or full-day seminar, or for details on how to submit their work for critique.  Costs are detailed below.

Seminar list:
– The Perfect Pitch – Frank Bures
– Write in a Flash – Helen Chen
– Writing About Yourself: A Generative Workshop – Jennifer Koski
– Please Don’t Feed the Saboteur – Roseanne Bane
– Write the Children’s Play That Theatres Are Looking For – Joan Sween
– The Five Secret Markers Found in Every Good Story – Tom Overlie

Panel list (see Rochester Community Education brochure for details):
– Meet the Editors – Ellington Miller-Starks and Steve Lange
– Promises and Pitfalls of Social Media – Brad Marsh and David Fingerman

Complete instructor list:
– Frank Bures
– Helen Chen
– Jennifer Koski
– Roseanne Bane
– Joan Sween
– Tom Overlie
– Ellington Miller-Starks
– Steve Lange
– Brad Marsh
– David Fingerman

Costs (click to register):

Full day registration (includes lunch):  $59 (on or before March 9), $69 (after March 9)
Half day registration AM (does not include lunch):  $35
Half day registration PM (does not include lunch):  $35
Critique:  $50


Rochester MN Writers Festival 2011

Posted on February 21st, 2011

The Third Annual Rochester Writers Festival will be held on April 9 at Bethel Lutheran Church.  For those who sign up for a full day session by March 9, you get a $10 discount!

Don’t want to go all day?  We also have the option of signing up for just a half day.

New this year:

  • Networking session after the main event.  It’s a great opportunity to meet local writers and talk with instructors.
  • Yours truly will be the keynote speaker!
  • One-on-one critiques are available to help you improve your work (separate registration, only 12 spots available)

Sign up soon…space is limited!

For more details and to sign up, check out the Community Education site.

Please forward this to any other writers who may be interested.


Editing Fiction: Hook, Plot, and Conclusion

Posted on February 6th, 2011

For the February Minnesota Writers Alliance newsletter, Joan Sween, the newsletter editor, asked me to write an article based on my freelance editing experience.

Since most of my clients submit fiction manuscripts, I focused on improving the hook, overall plot, and conclusion.  Find out what I said in the link below!

11-02 MWA Newsletter