Plan & Begin Your Book in a Weekend:

A guide for fearless writers.

featuring Melissa Hart and Jude Berman

Friday- 4pm Registration followed by Wine and Cheese mixer, dinner, consultant and introductions.
Sat- 8am breakfast followed by day with Melissa Hart and Consultations with Jude Berman. Lunch and dinner included
Sun- 8am breakfast followed by wrap up session and questions. Lunch available as sit down or on the go.

Saturday and Sunday:
In this lively and supportive workshop, memoirist and novelist Melissa Hart offers a wealth of information on how to plan and begin your book-length project–whether you’re writing a memoir, novel, nonfiction, or collection of shorter works. You’ll study how to structure your story around a topic, theme, and/or era, refresh your understanding of literary elements including characterization and dialogue and setting, and learn how to plot a book-length work with an eye toward narrative arc and character transformation.

You’ll look at examples from published works, do in-class writing exercises, and come away with a rich bibliography of useful books, articles, websites, podcasts, and recorded lectures on craft and inspiration.

Consultant Industry Overview

Friday night, after dinner and before introductions.
Jude Berman will present a short overview of current publishing options: the pros and cons of traditional, indie, and hybrid publishers, and self-publishing, as well as the role of agents and how the industry works for both novels and memoirs. On Saturday, attendees may sign up for fifteen-minute consultations with Jude (fee $25). She’ll bring her broad experience in working with authors to bear and can discuss craft, querying, determining a publishing path, or whatever interests the participant.

Presenter Bios

Melissa Hart is the author of eight published books, including the memoirs Wild Within: How Rescuing Owls Inspired a Family and Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood. Her short memoir has appeared in CNN, High Country News, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Real Simple, HuffPost Personal, and numerous other publications. She teaches for Southern New Hampshire University’s MFA program in Creative Writing. When she’s not writing, she loves to hike and run and bike long distance, kayak and Nordic ski and explore the outdoors. www.melissahart.com and Instagram @WildMelissaHart
-Melissa Hart–Journalist, Author & Public Speaker
www.melissahart.com–She/Her

Jude Berman was raised in book-filled rooms by refugee parents. She has a BA in art from Smith College and an EdD in cross-cultural communication from UMass Amherst. After a career in academic research, built a freelance writing and editing business and ran two small independent presses. In her free time, she volunteers for progressive causes, paints, gardens, meditates, and blogs at https://judeberman.org. Jude lives in Berkeley, California, where she continues to work with authors and write fiction. She writes and has two novels coming out this year.

The Die

(SparkPress, April 2024) For purchase/preorder on Amazon

In the democratic nation of California, Darah discovers the game she’s
working on in a Silicon Valley tech company has been tampered with and
turns to a hacker friend, Jedd, for help. The mind-control plot Jedd and
his friends soon uncover is a bigger threat than he or Darah imagined, but
are they willing to risk everything to prevent it from going forward?

The Vow

(She Writes Press, October 2024)

To become a history painter, a career off-limits to eighteenth-century
women, Angelica Kauffman has vowed never to marry. Artists, royalty, and a mysterious count cross her path in London, presenting temptation in many forms, and then, in Rome, there is Wolfgang von Goethe. Can Angelica achieve the success she so desperately desires and also answer the deepest call of her soul?

On Friday night, after dinner and before introductions, Jude will present a short overview of current publishing options: the pros and cons of traditional, indie, and hybrid publishers, and self-publishing, as well as the role of agents and how the industry works for both novels and memoirs. On Saturday, attendees may sign up for fifteen-minute consultations with Jude. She’ll bring her broad experience in working with authors to bear and can discuss craft, querying, determining a publishing path, or whatever interests the participant.