WRITER IS A WRITER before, as well as after, publication. Any number of how-to books combined may not give a writer the one priceless bit of clarity that can make the difference between being published or not. Rejection by an editor or agent seldom yields the reason as to why a manuscript doesn't grab them, and almost never reveals how it can be fixed to ensure it will.

Founded and run by professional writers the SCWC provides veteran and emerging talent with authoritative critique to help distinguish those manuscripts that are ready for market consideration, facilitating some $3 million worth of first-time authors' book and screen deals. With extended one-on-one evaluation of advance submissions and dozens of read & critique and Q&A workshops uniquely defying the "us versus them," academia-style cattle drives found at similar events, the SCWC is among the only writing conferences in the country specifically tailored to provide comprehensive feedback on your work.

Along with the read & critiques run during each session, many interactive problem-solving and assignment-oriented workshops are also available. And since the surroundings of the conference afford it – and since we most certainly encourage it – plenty of other opportunities await those attending to sidle up next to editors, agents, executives, and other writers joining us to discuss things on a more intimate level.

So whether you're a writer who can't figure why your work's not working, a writer simply in search of some answers, a writer wanting feedback on what you've written, a writer who doesn't know where to start, or just a writer who wants to hang with other writers, do yourself a favor and join us for the 22nd Annual Southern California Writers' Conference (and Retreat) in San Diego.

Your words are worth it!

Latest News as of 2/25/08
>> View Printable Online Brochure  I  SCWC .COMmunity Blog
>> View Proper Manuscript Format Sample  I  MSG on Writing a Synopsis
>> JJ on "Pitch" Conferences  I  MSG on Choosing the Write Conference
>> Book your Crowne Plaza Hotel room online here (use code SCW)

[ Note: Agents wanting to participate contact Michael Steven Gregory only if you're accepting clients. There are plenty of other conferences that provide reps who have no sincere intent of acquiring new clients with free weekends at nice hotels in desireable locales. The SCWC is not one of them. ]

POST-CONFERENCE WRAP #2: As always, feedback has been passionate and positive. On behalf of the entire staff, thank you for making SD22 such a stellar occasion. Couple of not-so-little things did slip through the cracks, however. First, there was an additional winner selected by consensus for the fiction award — and I just got the memo! Who is the omitted SCWC*SD22 award recipient for exceptional fiction? None other than longtime valued conferee Tameri Etherton of Carlsbad, CA. Congratulations! . . . Second thing, another valued longtime conferee has a new book out, the original manuscript of which earned her recognition at one of our Palm Springs events. Please give a big hand to Dodie Cross and the release of her hilarious memoir A Broad Abroad in Thailand: An Expat's Misadventures in the Land of Smiles. Better yet, visit ABroadAbroadInThailand.com and buy it . . . Finally, conference dates for our 23rd annual San Diego event will be Presidents' Day Weekend, Feb. 13-16, 2009. We hope to see you long before then, of course, maybe even in Irvine. Updates for SD23 will begin around June. Now go forth and write well!

POST-CONFERENCE WRAP #1 (2/19/08): What a fabulous weekend, filled with bright sunshine and fabulous writers from all over the world. As those who were there can attest, great stories, great information and great news got exchanged in abundance, and only one writer failed the "sucky" test. We'll do a another post update as the dust settles and we rollover to prepping the L.A. conference, which takes place September 26-28, 2008. In the meanwhile, here is the list of those conferees honored with awards...

SCWC*SD 22 Award Recipients:

• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Phyllis Brown

  from Fresno, CA for The Gold Beaded Box

• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Tameri Etherton

  from Carlsbad, CA for The Temple of Ardyn

• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Susan Ram

  from San Diego, CA for Season of the Cicada

• OUTSTANDING FICTION >> Lynne Spreen

  from Hemet, CA for Firefall

• TALES FROM THE FIRE >> Nicole Ward

  from San Diego, CA for Untitled

• TOPIC >> Gale Carline

  from Placentia, CA for EmMessGee and Wah (read here)

READY, SET, ALMOST GO (1/31/08): Only two weeks more to wait and such good "muse" to report about our Sunday morning speaker, Susan Arnout Smith. With her brand spanking new novel, The Timer Game, going gangbusters in 12 countries, including the US, UK, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Taiwan, Susan attributes at least some of its popularity to her innovative online video marketing campaign — and apparently former Disney honcho Michael Eisner and bestselling author Robin Cook have taken heed. Visit the SCWC blog to read all about it . . . And guess who's got a new one coming out from Poisoned Pen the first day of the conference? None other than our own maestro of mysterial mirth, Ken Kuhlken. PW hearts the latest in his eccentric Hickey family series, calling The Vagabond Virgins, "Engaging... Kuhlken easily blends adventure with a classic PI staple: the appearance of an alluring woman, full of secrets. Fans of the Hickey clan will undoubtedly enjoy this south-of-the-border installment." Sounds like a Friday Margarita Mixer to me! . . .

. . . And this just in: another one of our beloved, longtime "truthsayers," author Matthew J. Pallamary's latest is also coming out just in time for the conference. A memoir from Mystic Ink, chronicling his journey from the violent Catholic ghettos of Boston to finding shamanic serenity in the jungles of the Amazon, Spirit Matters proves that truth is stranger than fiction. And if you can't wait to find out why at the conference, our friends at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore are throwing a publication party the night before, starting at 7:00 PM. Matt will be there to sign books, so if you're in San Diego drop on by and buy a few! . . . While there's still plenty of room to join us for our Presidents' Day Weekend event, there are no more advance submissions slots available. Don't worry, though, there's gobs of read & critique workshops and usually some onsite advancers willing to cram overnight once we get together and hug, just before the open blood-letting begins. We're fine-tuning the schedule now. As always, the final will be available at check-in. If you haven't done so, register already and be done with it. There will be atleast one more updates prior to conference, so check back soon.

ONE MONTH OUT (1/15/08): Good "muse" from longtime conferee (San Diego, Palm Springs and L.A.) Mark Biskeborn. His first novel, Mojave Winds, is now out from Veritas Vino. Our own Mike Sirota calls the book, "An engaging, fast-moving story of personal and political conflict," while Drusilla Campbell declares, "A well written story which projects one of America's gravest problems to a realistic and fateful conclusion." And from another NY Times bestselling author, James Rollins (The Judas Strain: "I started reading this thriller and couldn't put it down." Congrats, Mark! . . . The deadline for advance submissions has passed, however some of the readers are caught up and willing to accepting material through the end of January, including Echelon Press publisher Karen Syed (suspense, mystery, cutting-edge fiction), Night Shade Books editor-in-chief Jeremy Lassen (sci-fi, fantasy, horror), Sunbelt Publications editor-in-chief Jennifer Redmond (regional and literary fiction, nonfiction), agents Kelly Skillen, Kelly Sonnack, Elaine Spencer, Sally van Haitsma and Natanya Wheeler — all of whom will sell out on a first come, first served basis within the next week or so — as well as many of our authors. With regards to the agents and editors, be sure to indicate an alternate reader (second choice) in case your first choice is sold out. You can also phone the SCWC office or email Michael to confirm availability.

TICK, TOCK, TICK, TOCK (12/31/07): That's right, we're six weeks away from the big event and what that means is deadlines and more "muse" to report. First off, novelist and screenwriter Susan Arnout Smith will be joining us as special guest speaker Sunday morning. Her knuckle-buckling new thriller, The Timer Game, the first in a two-book deal with St. Martin's/Minotaur, is out next week and we couldn't be happier for her. SCWC alum Gayle Lynds declares it, "As riveting as a ticking bomb." And in an especially savvy stab at harnessing the Internet for all its marketing worth, Susan's created a series of webisodes introducing the main characters five years before the novel begins. Check 'em out at TheTimerGame.com . . . Journalist, entertainment industry publicist and SCWC conferee Beverly Magid reports the release of her new novel, Flying Out of Brooklyn. Set during World War II, Janet Fitch (White Oleander and Paint It Black) calls it, "An evocative, heartfelt rendering of the American home front in 1943," while Denise Nicholas (Freshwater Road) proclaims it "fast-paced, and illuminating." Congratulations Beverly! . . . For those who've been asking about Michael Thompkins' "Creating Congruent Characters Part I & Part II" sessions, you can contact Michael directly for the syllabus to prepare . . . Deadline wise, while there's still plenty of room to register, all who are submitting to advance readers need to get their manuscript pages to the SCWC by no later than January 12, 2008. If you've selected multiple readers, you're welcome to enclose the submissions in a single envelope to reduce postal costs, so long as a cover letter addressed to the respective readers is attached to each. For submissions to the "Tales from the Fire" contest, you have only one more month to get your stories in as February 1 is the date to remember. That's all for now. Happiest of New Years to you!

SCWC BLOG NOW OPEN (12/16/07): That's right, in effort to expand the .COMmunity, we've created an SCWC Blog where others can join the discussion about all things conference or publishing related. This little surprise comes courtesy of SCWC*LA conferee B.D. Hilling who took the initiative, put in the time and got us going. Pop on over and even subscribe to the RSS feed so you're alerted to conference posts automatically. Thanks, Brian!

NIGHT SHADE BOOKS (12/7/07): From powerhouse independent sci-fi, fantasy and horror publisher Night Shade Books, editor-in-chief Jeremy Lassen is aboard for San Diego 22, and we're grateful to have him. In addition to sitting on one of the agents & editors panels, Jeremy will be accepting genre fiction advance submissions for follow up one-on-one consultation. You can read all about the house in this Publishers Weekly profile. Don't hesitate to register and secure you slot with him today . . . And from our Facebook page, literary agent Nicholas Croce posted this link to his insightful article addressing advances, royalties, subsidiary rights and cash flow for writers who contract with publishers . . . Finally, we have a special surprise in store for everybody. Pop around next week for the announcement.

SD22 NONFICTION CONTEST, AND (12/4/07): The announcement of Edwin Decker's "Interactive Poetry Cram: On The Page and In Your Face" has raised some questions. Here's the skinny: It will be a lively group session about your poetry, and poetry in general. Each participant is required to bring at least 2 poems that will be read aloud. It will not be a workshop for those looking for kudos, or who are sensitive about constructive criticism. For info, email Ed directly . . . Following his packed workshops at our L.A. and Palm Springs events, back by popular demand is "Shooting Shrink" series author and semi-retired psychologist Michael Thompkins. This time around Michael will be conducting two new interactive sessions, "Creating Congruent Characters Part I & Part II," accepting advance submissions in fiction, and heading a special advance submission contest:

"Tales from the Fire" Nonfiction Writing Contest

1. Composition must relate to the events surrounding what are known as the San Diego wildfires of 2007.
2. One entry per registered conferee.
3. Entry must not exceed twenty pages, double-space 12pt.
4. Entry must be received by the SCWC no later than February 1, 2008.
5. Mail five hardcopies of entry in one envelope to: SCWC, 1010 University Ave., #54, San Diego, CA 92103.

WORKING SCHEDULE, PLUS (11/26/07): What a fantastic conference SD22 is shaping up to be. The schedule is now live for the viewing and, as you can see, there's a lot of new sessions addressing many of the issues conferees have recently been asking about. Do keep in mind that this is not the final schedule. As with every SCWC a couple of months out, there's still a couple of slots to fill with requested workshops, plus the inevitable tweaking here and there as we go along. The final schedule will be available at the conference itself. Also, the printable online 4-page brochure is now available — don't even think about printing the site's web pages as you'll go through about a ream of paper and a bucket load of ink that would better serve the next final draft of your book! Check back often for further announcements and updates.

GOOD MUSE AND MORE (11/18/07): Three-time SCWC conferee Andy Peterson reports the sale of his debut novel, First to Kill, to Dorchester Publishing imprint Leisure Books. Andy's manuscript came to the attention of staffer Laura Taylor, who helped guide it into shape. After all his hard work writing, rewriting, rewriting and polishing, a mere six days after submission Andy got the call and an offer to boot. First to Kill is due in bookstores September, 2008. Congratulations, Andy! . . . Equally good "muse" comes from our own Alexandra Sokoloff. Given the success of this year's The Harrowing and with her sophomore bow, The Price, out February, St. Martin's has just penned a deal for two more titles from the ever-prolific author/screenwriter. Way to go, Alex! . . . Finally, following the success of her keynote engagement at our Irvine event, Andrea Portes is back to conduct a workshop or two in San Diego. Details to follow.

GETTIN' IT TOGETHER (11/14/07): Super-fab author/editor & workshop leader Marla Miller is in, as well as others who will be announced over the next week or so. What's important to note now is that advance submission reader requests are coming in fast and furious. In addition to Marla (narrative nonfiction), Thomas Larson has agreed to accept a limited number of memoir submissions — his speciality — as well as feature-length nonfiction pieces. Should he prove as popular as last time he was with us and you're working on a memoir, Tom's the man you want to sign up with fast . . . To simplify booking a room at the hotel, we've added an online Crowne Plaza Hotel booking page. Hopefully, this will enable you to avoid some of the usual confusion when you call the hotel directly. If you do, however, be sure to give them our rate code for discounted pricing, which is "SCW" . . . Check back throughout the week for further updates.

ADVANCE READERS POSTED, PLUS (11/12/07): With the addition of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency rep Kate McKean and Echelon Press publisher Karen Syed, the list of advance submission readers is complete and now posted. Having started in ebooks, Echelon today is pushing hard into mainstream publishing, gaining a reputation as an aggressive indie house. One of its new authors, Jeff Sherratt, whose debut title The Brimstone Murders is out just in time for the conference, will be joining us to discuss his journey to success. Also aboard is Internet strategist and former conferee Jeremy James, who'll be offering a practical session on web-tech for authors, including how to create an effective blog, emarketing and more . . . On the good "muse" front, longtime SCWC staffer Drusilla Campbell just scored a sweet two-book deal with Beth de Guzman at Grand Central. The first title, Mother Love, tells the story of a woman suffering from post-partum depression who endangers the lives of her children. And longtime conferee and SCWC award-winner Dodie Cross continues to rack up the raves for her hilarious memoir, A Broad Abroad in Thailand. Visit abroadinthailand.com to read all about it . . . A little house cleaning: a scheduling conflict has bumped Night Shade Books editor Jeremy Lassen from the schedule, though he is committed to our next event in Irvine. Also, San Diego's recent wildfires delayed brochures by a couple of weeks, but rest assured they'll be coming your way soon. This week we'll be updating the schedule, listing the workshop titles and making general tweaks thoughout the site. Now that the advance readers are posted, however, chances are they'll begin to sell out starting in December, if not sooner for some. Don't delay — register today!

MORE ABOARD (10/18/07): Award-winning nonfictionalist Thomas Larson is back with his provocative new book, The Memoir and the Memoirist: Reading and Writing Personal Narrative (Swallow Press). He'll be conducting a workshop on the biggest genre in publishing today, the new memoir. And fresh from her successful debut with us in Irvine, chick-lit author Whitney Lyles (First Comes Love) joins us with what we're sure will prove another equally informative and fun session . . .

Speaking of Irvine, many have asked about the little movie we shot in the mensroom Saturday night. A mashup of today's headlines, you can watch it on YouTube and see for yourself what writers come up with after too many workshops, too little coffee and a camera . . . Also, for all who've been waiting anxiously, here is the Andrea Portes query letter that opened the door for her big time (thanks, Sally). The fact that her novel Hick was just selected a BookSense Pick also speaks volumes to the quality of her exceptional storytelling skills. The file is an image, so right-click after opening and save it to your computer to print . . . Finally, while not conducting a screenwriting session at the conference, following a two-year hiatus Michael Steven Gregory returns to University of California San Diego Extension in January to conduct his usually sold out 9-week course. It'll be his only one for '08, so you locals — now's your chance! . . . More updates coming, including additional workshop leaders and readers, guest speakers, agents & editors and more.

ONLY FOUR MORE MONTHS (10/8/07): That's all the time you've got to gear up for our Presidents' Day Weekend event, and it's already shaping up to be another fantastic writerly weekend in San Diego. While extensive staff and schedule announcements begin shortly, among those committed thus far: Sunbelt Books publisher Jennifer Redmond, agents Jessica Faust (BookEnds), Kate McKean (Howard Morhaim Lit.), Kelly Skillen (PMA Lit.), Sally van Haitsma (Castiglia Lit.), Natanya Wheeler (Lowenstein-Yost) and Kelly Sonnack (Dijkstra Lit.). Other reps will be posted soon, as well as the roster of terrific authors who'll be conducting sessions, guest speaking and handling read & critique. Speaking of which, for those looking to submit material prior to the conference, be sure to review All You Need to Know About Advance Submissions to get up to speed on how it works . . . Don't forget that San Diego tends to be our most popular conference. Register early to take advantage of the Early "Bard" Discount and you'll both save $50 and secure your spot. Also, join the SCWC FaceBook Forum to discuss conference issues and stay in touch with our ever expanding community — it's free and you've earned it!

SCWC*SD 22 LOCATION: The conference will be held again at the Crowne Plaza San Diego (formerlly Red Lion Hanalei) resort, located mere moments away from Lindbergh Field International Airport, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, historic Old Town, downtown and its famous Gaslamp District, and beaches, beaches, beaches galore! Dates are Presidents' Day Weekend, Feb. 15-18, 2008. Lodging discounts are available to SCWC conferees. Phone 800-972-2802 to book your reservation, or click here (use code SCW). We often sell out the hotel, so make your reservation soon.

SCWC*SD 22 SCHEDULE: As always, you can rest assured that plenty of workshops, read & critique, one-on-ones and more will fill the schedule in 2007. We're even changing a few things around to bolster your conference experience. Check it out here.

SCWC*SD 22 STAFF: In addition to the many familiar Workshop Leaders returning in 2007, as usual we'll have several new folks rolled into the fold. Check 'em out here when they're announced.

GUEST SPEAKERS: Check here to learn about who all's aboard for SCWC*SD 22, when they're announced.

HERE'S WHERE you can check everything out:

• Workshop Leaders, Readers & Panelists - SCWC*SD 22
• Conference Schedule - SCWC*SD 22
• Registration - SCWC*SD 22
• Frequently Asked Questions - SCWC*SD 22

THAT'S ALL for now.  Do check the website for updates and be sure to remit your postal address to receive our free brochure. For more information, address your question to someone specific on the contact page, or phone (619) 303-8185.