Hi y'all!

I wanted to let you know that AnAuthor World's fall classes will be starting in September. You can go to http://www.anauthorworld.com/ to view them and to sign up. All classes will be held at AnAuthor World studio (475 Haywood Road, Suite 8, Greenville, SC 29607, inside Hargis Art Services, which is in the same shopping center as the Melting Pot Restaurant).

Send a Friend Discounts: If you have a friend sign up for one of our classes (doesn't have to be the same class you're taking), then you'll get 20% off of your class price. So that means that if you send 5 friends, you'd get the class for free! How cool is that?

"Basics of Writing Fiction 1" -- Pam Zollman, instructor

4 weeks -- Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.September 3-24th

Cost: $95

This course will explore the basics of character development, setting, plot, and point of view to help beginning writers get their story on paper. Students will write a first draft of their story as homework. Pam will help you understand the critiquing process and introduce you to the world of publishing.

"Basics of Writing Fiction 2" -- Pam Zollman and Tim Davis, instructors
4 weeks -- Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

October 1-22nd

Cost: $95

This course is designed for writers with a manuscript in first draft form, ready for revision. Pam will work thorugh the editorial process with chapter-book authors, while Tim will help picture-book authors work thorugh the dummying stage and discuss the relationship of illustration to the text. Specific strageies for submission will prepare students for publication.

"Principles of Illustration" -- Tim Davis, instructor

6 weeks -- Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

September 1-October 6th

Cost: $145

This course is for prospective illustrators. It will not teach students how to draw, but will rather guide talented artists to a better understanding of what makes good illustration. Tim will discuss a full range of topics, including composition, line, style, and color. He will assign correlating projects to be critiqued in class. Students should bring samles of their artwork and drawing materials to the first session.

"Overview of Creative Writing" -- Pam Zollman, instructor

3 weeks -- Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

September 14-28th
Cost: $75

This course will give an overview of writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for beginning writers. In-class assignments will help students find their writing niche.

"Characterization, Plot, and Structure" -- Pam Zollman, instructor

8 weeks -- Mondays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

October 5-November 23rd

Cost: $195

This advanced course is designed for writers working thorugh the revision process for their manuscripts. Pam wil provide specific help for authors to help their writing reach its full potential.

"Digital Illustration" -- Tim Davis, instructor

4 weeks -- Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

January 5-February 2nd

Cost: $95

This coure is specifically designed to help students learn the basics of illustration using Adobe products, especially Illustrator and Photoshop. Tim will discuss practical strategies for the creation of digital illustrations and assign correlating projects to be critiqued in class. Students will need to have their own computers with Photoshop and/or Illustrator.

I hope that you can join one of our classes!

Don't forget the "Send a Friend Discount Program."

Check our website (http://www.anauthorworld.com/) for more information. Also check the website for upcoming events!

AnAuthor World's first conference

Well, I am exhausted, but inspired and excited, all at the same time!

Our "Write at the StART" conference was very successful -- only a few very minor glitches that no one noticed. We filled the Hargis Art Services gallery with writers and illustrators hungry for knowledge, and then we gave them what they wanted. Plus, we had fun and made new friends! What a great Saturday!

"Hurt the Bunnies" Workshop Session offered at AnAuthor World conference

I will be presenting a workshop on "Hurt the Bunnies: How Characterization and Plot Work Together" at the second break-out session during "Write at the StART" writing and illustrating conference hosted by AnAuthor World (http://www.anauthorworld.com/ ).

I coined the phrase "hurt the bunnies" after reading so many stories where there was no problem to be solved, no conflict -- nothing happened. It started when I judged a contest and every single entry was a picture book/short story about bunnies...except one that was about groundhogs (and this one actually had a problem to solve). The bunnies basically hopped around all day holding hands, picking flowers, and remarking on what a wonderful world they lived in. I have to admit that after reading dozens of stories like that, I really did have an urge to hurt those bunnies. But the phrase "hurt the bunnies" actually is for the writers, to remind them that stories aren't interesting unless we can in some way identify with the main character -- or main bunny -- and feel sympathy for him. We have to care what happens to him. If nothing happens, then we feel as if we've wasted the time we invested in that character/bunny. So the writer needs to "hurt" that character/bunny in some way. The "hurt" doesn't have to be physical. It can be a need, a desire, a wish, a goal...but it can also be a physical or emotional "hurt." A "bunny" without a problem is a boring bunny, and no one wants to read about boring bunnies.

Sign up for the conference (http://www.anauthorworld.com/ ) and for my workshop to learn ways to "hurt your bunnies."

"Write at the StART" Writing and Illustrating Conference

Tim Davis and I have created a studio where we want writing and illustrations to "happen." Not just ours, but yours as well! Our studio is called AnAuthor World and you can find us at 475 Haywood Road, Suite 8, Greenville, SC 29607 (we're inside Hargis Art Services: Studios and Galleries). You can also find us at http://www.anauthorworld.com/.

We're hosting a mini-conference on August 15th at our studio. You can sign-up on our website. Here's the info:

Write at the Start: a kick-off conference for AnAuthor World

Come join us in AnAuthor World on Saturday, August 15, 2009.

We welcome anyone interested in writing and/or illustrating for a one-day conference featuring some great guest speakers and engaging demonstrations. The cost for attending is only $65, with lunch included. You can’t beat that! The event will be held at Hargis Art Services Studios and Gallery, 475 Haywood Road, Suite 8, Greenville, SC, beginning at 9:00 in the morning. Space is limited, so register early to hold a spot by registering through this site.

8:30 Registration opens

9:00 Introduction: Pam Zollman and Tim Davis, Instructors at AnAuthor World
Jo Hackl, Assistant Regional Advisor,SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book
Writers and Illustrators)

9:30 General session: Vonda Skelton: “The Writer’s Brain”

10:45 Breakout sessions:
Vonda Skelton: “Laughter is Serious Business”
Rebecca Davis: “Writing Biographical Narratives for Children”
Pam Zollman: “Writing and Submitting for Magazines”
Tim Davis: “Pictures Plus a Thousand Words”

11:45 Boxed lunch from Jason’s Deli served in the gallery

1:00 Breakout sessions:
Nancy Lohr: “Make or Break Qualities in Novels for Children”
Carol Baldwin: “Creative Writing in the Classroom: How to InspireYour Students”
Pam Zollman: “Hurt the Bunnies: How Characterization and PlotWork Together ”
Justin Gerard: “Illustration Techniques”

2:15 Panel Q and AAll speakers available to answer your questions

3:00 Book Signings, Informal Critique Groups, and Portfolio Reviews

Speakers:

Vonda Skelton is an author and inspirational speaker. She loves teaching adults and students how to pen words that touch lives. Vonda has had the privilege of teaching at writers’ conferences from Delaware to New Mexico and has taught her Writing is Fun! workshops to over 15,000 students in public and private schools.http://www.vondaskelton.com/

Carol Baldwin is a freelance writer in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her most recent book is Teaching the Story: Fiction Writing in Grades 4-8 (Maupin House, 2008). She is active in the SCBWI and enjoys working in her husband’s dental office, being a mother and grandmother, biking, and gardening. http://www.carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com/

Justin Gerard, the Illustration and Story Director of Portland Studios of Greenville, has produced a ponderous amount of majestic artwork in his young career. He has been featured in Spectrum and Society of Illustrators, and recently obtained an IPPY award for his interpretation of the reknowned epic in Beowulf, Book One: Grendel the Ghastley. http://www.portlandstudios.com/

Rebecca Davis has been writing professionally in a variety of genres for almost thirty years, including four children’s books, one of which won the C.S. Lewis Gold Medal for outstanding Christian juvenile literature. She has also spoken before audiences of all ages, with presentations covering various aspects of writing, literature, the Christian life, home education, and her favorite, telling stories, especially from her own books.http://www.heresthejoy.com/

Nancy Lohr is the Acquisitions Editor for youth titles for JourneyForth Books, a division of BJU Press, and author of two historical fiction novels for children as well as articles on reading and writing that have been published in Teacher to Teacher and Home School Helper. Her background includes experience as a classroom teacher and a school librarian. www.bjupress.com/category/Books

Pam Zollman, the primary instructor at AnAuthor World, is a former editor for Highlights magazine, a speaker in national SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conferences, a longtime continuing education instructor in Texas and Pennsylvania, and the award-winning author of over forty books for children. In every class she teaches, Pam shares her contagious enthusiasm for writing, which carries over into the relationships she develops with aspiring authors.http://www.pamzollman.com/

Tim Davis brings an artist’s perspective to AnAuthor World. He is the author-illustrator of seven children’s books published by JourneyForth, and has also worked for a number of other children’s publishers, including Highlights magazine, Scholastic, and Fisher-Price. Tim teaches continuing ed. courses at both Furman University and Greenville Technical College, and will offer classes for prospective illustrators at AnAuthor World.http://www.timdaviscreations.com/

I hope that you can come! If not, be sure to visit our website.