right here, write now

2013 Write On The River SOLD OUT!

Registration is now CLOSED for our 2013 Write On The River Writing Conference this weekend.  We are thrilled and overwhelmed with the enthusiasm over this year’s Conference – but we have just hit the maximum capacity for our facility.  Thanks so much to all of you who are as excited as we are about a truly stellar Writing Conference.  We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

High School Writers’ Competition Winners Chosen!

The Wenatchee area is lucky to have such an inspiring group of young, talented writers…way to go!

New WOTR blog from Jamie Howell!

We invite you to stop in each week to laugh, learn, commiserate and collude with accomplished writer, filmmaker and musician Jamie Howell. We’ll join him as he takes on the long odds and long hours required to break through as a novelist, bringing his irreverent and insightful writing style to the official Write On The River blog. His award-winning documentaries, syndicated columns and years of reporting and editing have all led to this latest project – his pursuit of a best-selling novel. New blog entries will post every Thursday morning. Stop by the site, or subscribe here to receive them in your email. There’s even a video version where Jamie will read them to you himself. We hope you’ll enjoy and feel free to join the conversation.

J.A. Jance Headlines Conference as Keynote

Write On The River is North Central Washington’s only writing conference.  Two days of content-packed workshops with professional editors, successful agents, bestselling authors and nationally-acclaimed speakers, Write On The River is the best way to hone your craft, build your dream and move your writing forward.  Whether your goal is to be a published author, write articles for a local magazine, develop your poetry, or simply write for your own enjoyment, Write On The River has something for you.  Held every May on the beautiful Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee, Washington, Write On The River is a writing conference not to be missed!

OUR 2013 CONFERENCE IS NOW SOLD OUT!

Our 2013 Conference featuring Keynote Speaker J.A. Jance will be May 17, 18 & 19.  With a world-class faculty including three N.Y. Times Bestselling authors, writers featured on Oprah and NPR, and renowned writing instructors from all over the world, it promises to be a highlight of your writing year.  Attendees will also have the opportunity to pitch their projects to a literary agent and a book publisher.  CLICK HERE to see the line-up of workshops, and HERE to read about our exciting faculty of Presenters.

G.M. Ford Wowed Writers at March Members-Only Event!

More than 34 writers turned out to learn survival tactics from acclaimed author G.M. Ford during a special, two-hour Intensive Workshop for Write On The River Members on March 9.  Mr. Ford, the author of many popular mystery and thriller books, was a popular workshop presenter at our 2007 Conference.

Mr. Ford’s workshop was entitled, “A Survival Handbook for Writers.”
Highlights of the engaging, up-close view of the writing life and publication will included:

Getting straight with yourself about what you want out of your writing efforts.

Making sure your skill set matches your dreams, and what to do if it doesn’t.

Understanding the business that publishers are in and how rejection is not personal.

Digital vs. traditional publishing.

What neurobiology tells us about the role of storytelling in human affairs.

Coming to grips with reader expectations and how to meet those expectations.

What to do if it doesn’t work.

With humor and the expertise gleaned from a long career, G.M. for will help you survive the writing life.
Optional but fun: Ford will e-mail registrants a fun exercise to try before the workshop.

2013 High School Writers’ Competition Opens!

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE, TRIPLE YOUR WRITING REWARDS!

Write On The River’s 2nd annual High School Writers Competition is open to all students grades 9-12 in North Central Educational Service District (NCESD). That means every student in Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, and Grant counties, and includes anyone enrolled in WVC’s Running Start program through one of those 26 high schools. This year, five local teachers, at Cascade, Cashmere, Chelan, Wenatchee, and Eastmont high schools, are especially encouraging their writing students to participate and making information available in the classroom. Students may enter any original work of prose fiction, up to 1000 words in length by March 30 — a short story or the first chapter of a longer work, any genre or style. Complete submission guidelines, judging criteria, entry forms and mail-in information will all be posted on the WOTR website www.writeontheriver.org starting February 1. The fee to submit work is $10.

Anyone who submits work to the competition can automatically enroll for free in the Saturday May 18 High School Writers Workshop entitled “Creating Fiction Using Ingredients You Already Have in Your Own Brain ” presented by award-winning author Katherine Grace Bond (you can also choose not to write for the competition and simply register for the High School workshop for $10.)

The winning writer will receive $100, and two Honorable Mentions will also be named. Those three students and five more selected by the judges will have an unprecedented opportunity to boost their writing skills — Ms. Bond will write full critiques of the selected submissions, and then host a private “working writers’ luncheon” with those eight individual writers directly after the morning workshop.

This competition was initiated by 2011 WOTR conference presenter Chelsea Cain, a widely published NY Times best selling author and strong believer in the potential of young writers. She pledged $1000 over ten years to encourage our local high school students. Then, 2012 Conference presenters Susan Wingate and Terri Persun were so impressed by the Chelsea Cain award winner they offered special funding to enhance the morning workshop with the individual critiques and luncheon!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE 2013 ENTRY FORM!

Members-Only Early Conference Registration OPEN!

2013 Conference Registration NOW OPEN for Write On The River Members!  Click HERE to go to our Registration page and sign up for the highlight of your writing year!

Our Writing Conference is a real knock-out this year…stellar Keynote, incredible faculty, awesome workshops.  Besides our empowering and enlightening workshops, you’ll also have the chance to pitch your work to an editor or agent, have book signings, ask questions of our Faculty and new “Ask a Pro” tables, and meet and bond with other local writers.  Don’t miss this great opportunity to move your writing forward!

2013 Conference Workshops and Faculty Announced!

Write On The River is thrilled to officially announce the workshops and presenters of our 2013 Writing Conference.  We’ve got an exciting and inspiring line-up of workshops sure to hone your craft, light your literary fires, and move your writing life boldly forward.  Whether your goal is to reach publication or just improve your craft, this year’s Conference is full of opportunities to empower you to do both.  Our faculty this year includes three New York Times bestselling authors, a professional literary agent, the president of a publishing company, and writers who’ve been featured on NPR and the Oprah Winfrey Show.  This Conference promises to be our best yet, and not one you’ll want to miss.  Save the date: May 17, 18 and 19 in Wenatchee, WA.  Registration will begin online for Write On The River Members on January 24th, then to non-Members at our Registration Kick-Off Event on February 7th.

Click here to read about the Workshops being offered.

Click here to learn about our distinguished faculty.

2013 Writers’ Competition

Entries in the 2013 Alcoa  Write On The River Writers’ Competition have been received, the six winners will be announced by April 1!

Competition closed on February 15th.

About the competition: With $1,200 in prize money (generously donated by Alcoa), recognition at our May 2013 Writing Conference and in the Wenatchee World – and the praise and acclaim of our vibrant Washington writing community – this Competition is a yearly opportunity to throw your hat in the ring and move your writing life forward.  Open to all Washington residents, there is both a Fiction and Nonfiction division.  Click Here to learn more and download the Entry Form.  The

J.A. Jance to be 2013 Keynote!

We have a big treat in store for the spring Conference: JA Jance, NY Times best-selling mystery novelist, will be on stage in Wenatchee to deliver our Keynote talk. Jance is best known for several on-going series centering on the characters of J.P. Beaumont, Joanna Brady and Ali Reynolds, but her body of work encompasses 48 novels. Her latest book is Judgment Call: A Brady Novel of Suspense. An excerpt is available here.

Jance says of her books: “I come to the task of writing with the understanding that my characters are people first and police officers second. When they get hurt either physically or emotionally, they don’t get over it within the next twenty pages. Things that happen to them in one book impinge on what they’re doing in the next one.”

We are thrilled that Ms. Jance will be joining us for the kickoff of our annual weekend of learning. Her appearance at Write On The River is the latest is a series of high-profile and inspiring Keynote speakers such as:

- Chelsea Cain

- Terry Brooks

- Jess Walter

- Elizabeth George

- Timothy Egan

Remember the dates: May 17-19, 2013! More details of Ms. Jance’s appearance here after the first of the year. Watch this space for information about how the public can secure tickets to this Conference event.