Writers Workshop
Potlatch not only benefits the
Clarion West writers workshop,
it also hosts a Clarion-style workshop at the con. It's a great opportunity
to get a taste of Clarion, while honing your craft with your fellow
writers and our instructors.
The Instructors
- Cory Doctorow
won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 2000
and is the co-author of The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction.
His first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
will be out shortly before Potlatch 12, to be followed by another
novel and a short story collection later in 2003.
- Howard V. Hendrix
is the author of Lightpaths,
Standing
Wave, Better Angels,
Empty Cities
of the Full Moon, and dozens of short stories.
- Rachel Holmen
was the publisher of Marion Zimmer
Bradley's Fantasy Magazine until it ceased publication in
2000, and is the co-editor of Marion
Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Worlds, and a contributor to
The
Portable Writers' Conference.
- Debbie Notkin is a consulting editor for Tor, and the editor of Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender
Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy, the James
Tiptree, Jr. Award anthology.
The Workshop
The workshop will be organized into small groups, each
led by one of the instructors. In a Clarion-style workshop, everyone
reads and critiques all the stories in advance of the workshop meeting.
To register, each participant submits a story, and copies will be
mailed to every participant in his or her group about a month before
the con.
At the workshop meeting itself, the participants and
instructor sit in a circle. The instructor chooses which story to
critique, and starting with the person next to the story's author,
the other participants give their critiques, going around the circle.
The instructor may enforce a time limit on the comments. The author
remains silent during his or her story's critique and the instructor
always critiques last. Finally, the author has a chance to comment
on the critiques and ask questions, and there is some time for general
discussion.
This is repeated for the rest of the stories.
Registering
To participate in the workshop, you must be a registered
member of Potlatch. Choose
a complete science fiction or fantasy story of yours of up to 5000
words, and print it out in correct manuscript format. Make
five complete photocopies, each copy stapled or paperclipped together,
and mail them to:
Zed Lopez
PO Box 12546
Berkeley, CA 94712
Previous writing experience is not necessary, but please
include a brief description of what your writing background is. ("This
is my first story" would suffice, if appropriate.) Please also enclose
a check for $10 (for postage and other workshop expenses) made out
to Clarion West/Potlatch 12.
Your submission must be postmarked on or before January
15, 2003. This deadline is firm to allow time to forward the manuscripts
to all participants and instructors and give them time to read and
critique them. Please plan accordingly.
Critiquing
For many participants, this may be their first time
critiquing, their first time allowing others to read their writing,
or both. Please remember this cardinal principle: critique the story,
not the author. See Maureen
McHugh's excellent (and brief!) Four Steps to a Useful Critique, and
Critters' resource list for more articles
on critiquing.
For more information
If you have any questions, please send them to: workshop@potlatch-sf.org.