Eloisa James 2015:

Tentative Schedule

 

A detailed schedule will be administered to all participants upon acceptance to the seminar. Note that this schedule is tentative and may be adjusted as needed by Ms. James.

 

 

Day 1

Arrival, Florence Amerigo Vespucci Airport.

 

Transfer to Castellina in Chianti.

 

Picnic lunch in garden

 

Social – Meet Eloisa and the staff.

 

Dinner at local restaurant

 

Day 2

Breakfast

 

Lecture w/ Eloisa:“Doing It All Over Again: Writing Novels in a Series.”Eloisa James explains how to hook readers, drive sales, and build a reader community by designing related, interwoven plots. We'll talk about designing multiple books, pitching a series to editors, and creating that all-important reader excitement that drives the sales momentum of each book upward.

 

Eloisa: Writing assignment description

 

Lunch

 

Writers work on individual assignment.

 

Departure/Walk to Castellina
Wine Tasting

 

Tuscan Style Buffet Reception in private Medieval residence.

 

Day 3

Breakfast

 

Eloisa: Workshopping writing assignments.

 

Eloisa: Discussion/Writing Assignment 2 explanation

 

Eloisa meets individually with writers, I

 

Picnic lunch

 

Eloisa: “Ten Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Writing.” Eloisa explains how to break into print and how to break out onto the bestseller lists: a frank discussion of the business of writing no matter the genre -- and what it takes to hit the NYT Top Ten.

 

Eloisa meets individually with writers, I

 

Writers work on writing assignments

 

Dinner at Il Fondaccio dei Dottori

 

Day 4

Breakfast

 

Workshopping assignment drafts

 

Eloisa: General comments/Discussion

 

Picnic lunch

 

Writers work on individual assignment. Eloisa meets individually with writers, II

 

 

Day 5

Breakfast

 

Excursion to Siena

 

Dinner

 

Day 6

Breakfast

 

Eloisa: “Kiss My Cliché." The Big Mis, too-stupid-to-live heroines, spies, evil stepmothers and lecherous villains. Ditto for POV shifts and purple prose! Eloisa James will take you through a laundry list of supposedly weaknesses and show you how to turn "no-no's" into list-making, critically acclaimed books.

 

Lunch

 

Eloisa: Discussion/ Writing assignment explanation

 

Writers work on writing assignments

 

Dinner at Il Fondaccio dei Dottori

 

Walk to Castellina for gelato tasting.

 

Day 7

Breakfast

 

Workshopping assignment

 

Lunch

 

Writers work on writing assignments

 

Dinner at local restaurant

 

Day 8

Breakfast

 

Eloisa: “What Not to Write”

Have you ever seen What Not to Wear – when Stacy and Clinton point out the horrors of a cringing contestant’s wardrobe? Their authority comes from that the fact that those two seem to know every item of clothing that can be found in a department store, from classics and new fashion twists. Given that most publishers now send Eloisa their ARCs, due to the Barnes & Noble Review feature she writes every month, she feels like Stacy and Clinton. She knows all about recently published romance, from paranormal to suspense to historical. The topics will include Genres, Writing Styles, Hooks, Plots, and Creativity.

 

 

Eloisa: Q&A

 

Lunch

 

Writers work on writing assignments

 

Dinner at Ilocal restaurant

 

Day 9

Breakfast

 

Eloisa: Q&A with Eloisa

 

Eloisa: Individual conferences I

 

Picnic lunch

 

Eloisa: Individual conferences I

 

Farwell Dinner at La Torre and Certificate of Completion Award Ceremony

 

Day 10

Breakfast

 

Departure for Florence Train Station/ Airport Amerigo Vespucci