SCBWI Tokyo presents
Be Cruel to your Characters
A Writing Workshop on Plot with Chris Eboch
Time: Saturday, July 8, 2006, 1:00–4:30 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women’s Plaza, Audiovisual Room A
5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo (by the Children’s Castle and United
Nations University).
For a map in Japanese see
http://www.tokyo-womens-plaza.metro.tokyo.jp/contents/map.html
Be Cruel to Your Characters Writing Workshop and Private Critiques Does your story sag? Does your plot plod? Maybe you need more conflict. No matter how much you love your characters, you must make their lives difficult if you want a strong plot. We’ll look at the basic types of conflict, and then use two simple questions to create conflict during group and individual brainstorming sessions. We’ll also discuss how to develop the right character for your plot (and the right plot for your character), and the link between plot and theme. Authors of all experience levels, writing for any age range from picture book through young adult, will benefit from this interactive program.
Chris Eboch will also offer private, one-on-one manuscript critiques before the workshop. The fee is 4,000 yen per critique for up to ten pages (max 3,000 words). The manuscript may be a complete picture book, story or article, or the first ten pages of a novel with a one-page synopsis. For a longer manuscript, the fee is 4,000 yen for the first 10 pages plus 120 yen per page for succeeding pages. Critique participants will receive a written critique, plus a 15-minute private consultation. Eboch will comment on plot, character, theme, and overall flow of the story. She has worked with hundreds of students through the Institute of Children’s Literature and other classes; for critique recommendations, see the “For writers” section of her website at http://www.chriseboch.com .
Chris Eboch
Chris Eboch is the author of The Well of Sacrifice (Clarion Books, 1999), a middle grade historical adventure set in ninth century Guatemala, and three nonfiction books for Junior High students, Life Among the Maya, Modern Nations of the World: Turkey, and Modern Nations of the World: Yemen. In 2006, Picturewindow Books will release her titles Science Measurements and Science Tools, for second-grade children. Eboch earned her MA degree in Professional Writing and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston and has worked as a magazine editor and published over a hundred articles for children and adults. She has traveled extensively throughout the world. Eboch currently teaches writing through the Institute of Children’s Literature and is the SCBWI New Mexico Regional Advisor. Visit her website at http://www.chriseboch.com .
Workshop and critiques will be in English.
Fee: ¥5,000 SCBWI members; ¥7,000 nonmembers
Reservations required: Contact info [at] scbwi.jp for reservations and payment details and to reserve a manuscript critique. Private manuscript critiques also available. All manuscript critiques must be reserved by June 15.
Reserve early: limited to 15 participants!
Visit http://www.scbwi.jp/ for details.
