Backwards In Stilettos
Dates: November 12 - November 18, 2006
Instructor: Shanna Swendson
Course description:
As writers and as readers, we may be as passionate about
chick lit as we ever were. Unfortunately, publishers right
now aren't quite as passionate about the genre, with lists
tightening. That just means we have to write better chick
lit that goes beyond clichés and truly engages both
editors and readers.
It may feel like we're walking backwards (and sometimes uphill)
in stilettos, but the authors who rise to the challenge are
the ones who stand a better chance of breaking in.
This class will cover:
- Analyzing what we love about chick lit and what we don't
want to see any more of
- Creating memorable heroines
- Finding the central story conflict
- Populating the world with secondary characters who aren't
just gay and/or slutty best friends
- Building the right level of romance for your story
- Finding your voice as a chick lit author
About the Instructor:
Shanna Swendson is an Army brat born in Fort Sill, OK at,
as she puts it, a very early age. Writing as Samantha Carter,
her first novel for Avalon was the contemporary romance A
Storybook Hero. She followed that with two more for Avalon
and then two for the Silhouette "Yours Truly" line.
But when that line folded, she was given the idea that there
might be a better fit for her writing style. That's when Shanna
discovered Chick Lit through Bridget Jones' Diary.
She took that edgy fun style and thought "What if there
was magic like in Harry Potter?" And that is how Enchanted,
Inc. came to be. She has written the sequel Once Upon
Stilettos for Ballantine Books which comes out May 30,
2006. Also, she has sold the third and fourth in that series.
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