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I’ve attended the Writers’ Institute, a three-day annual conference run by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies, on several occasions, and found the information really useful. The speakers are informative, and the writers I took classes with were also sources of both information and inspiration. In the first part of this interview, conference director Chris DeSmet shares what writers attending the conference can expect this year. In the conclusion of our interview, she talks about some additional opportunities for attendees, and about the most important thing–results. This year’s Writers’ Institute is March 27-29. Registration opens WHEN.

WB: Beyond the workshops, what opportunities are available to writers at Writers’ Institute?

CD: Don’t miss entering the contest! People who place in our contest have gone on to get agents, sell books, or just plain find encouragement. We also offer written critiques and plan to offer a couple of in-person, small-group critique workshops, probably with Les Edgerton and Patricia Draznin. And because this will be Marshall Cook’s last Writers’ Institute, we hope a lot of writers might join us for the workshop luncheon on Friday. Marshall is retiring from the UW in October.

WB: Everyone loves to be inspired, but I’d rather focus on results. Talk a little bit about the practical tools writers can walk away with after attending Writers’ Institute.

CD: Some of the things a writer will learn how to do:  How to create a career from the first book they write. How to write a mystery. How to write a historical novel. How to write scenes, the backbone of fiction. How to write dialogue. How to write and sell humorous essays. And more. Our focus has always been on “how” to get the job of writing done, and done well. This is a craft conference. We’ve actually moved away from the “keynote speech” sort of thing so we could feature more workshops on writing techniques. When we hire speakers, we ask them to please focus on solving problems for writers. With Linda Seger’s sessions, for example, the writer is going to go away with clear techniques for deepening character, for finding theme (always tricky) and conflict, and for developing the transformational arc of a character. In one of her sessions, she’ll illustrate her points using scenes from “As Good As It Gets,” which won a few Oscars. We also have workshops this year on the business side of writing, including marketing and branding. Our workshops are geared to give writers lists of things to do when they get home. There’s also ample time to talk with all the agents. We provide many forums to pitch, ask advice, and we encourage writers to lunch or dinner with the agents. We don’t whisk the agents away to private dinners or anything; they’re here for you, the writer.

WB: Share a success story (or a few!) that came out of Writers’ Institute.

CD: We post success stories at our main page for our writing area. I invite your readers to check out www.dcs.wisc.edu/lsa/writing and look for the little news box and scroll through there. Writers have signed with agents coming here, and there have been sales of books through the agent-writer link-up at our conference. Success for a writer also includes things like finally finishing a book, or finally writing an article that sells. We hear about those sorts of successes but we don’t post them all. Many writers in our summer and fall retreats use the Writers’ Institute as a deadline for finishing their books and then meeting with an agent. Sometimes a conference is valuable just for that deadline it offers a writer.

WB: When does registration open? What are the costs?

CD: Registration is now open–register as soon as possible if you’re interested in an agent pitch session. Costs include $145 for just Friday, or $145 for Saturday-Sunday, or $245 for all three days if you sign up before March 6. The extras include the contest, $10; the luncheon, $12.50, and critique workshops, $50, and pitches, $15.

Pitch sessions and this endless cold weather made me think of these scenes from Groundhog Day. Enjoy the ultimate cold call/pitch session gone awry–again and again: