Est. 1935
The Pre-Quill Conference
April 29, 2023
University Marriott
SLC, Utah
Our annual Pre-Quill Conference is a hybrid conference with a collection of pre-recorded presentations available for viewing in our event app starting March 29th and live and streaming workshops with a keynote featuring Aminah Mae Safi on April 29, 2023.
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Pre-Quill is a hybrid event. For the safety of guests and attendees, we highly recommend COVID vaccinations and antigen testing before attending in person. Masks are also strongly recommended. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, or you've been exposed to anyone with a respiratory illness, we ask that you attend virtually the day of the conference.
The live portion of the Pre-Quill Conference will be on April 29, 2023, at Salt Lake City Marriott University Park at 480 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108.
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The pre-recorded sessions are available starting March 29th through the conference app.
Registration
Cost
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$25 League Members / $50 General Public
Keynote
Aminah Mae Safi
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Aminah Mae Safi is a Muslim-American writer who explores art, fiction, feminism, and film. She loves Sofia Coppola movies, Bollywood endings, and the Fast and Furious franchise. She’s the winner of the We Need Diverse Books short story contest. Originally raised in Texas, she now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her partner, a cat bent on world domination, and another cat who’s just here for the snacks. She is the author of Not the Girls You’re Looking For (Feiwel and Friends, 2018), Tell Me How You Really Feel (Feiwel and Friends, 2019), This is All Your Fault (Feiwel and Friends, 2020) and Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix (2022).
Buy your copy of Aminah's books here:
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*Please note, The League of Utah Writers is an affiliate of Bookshop.org and will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase on books that apply.
Schedule
2023 Pre-Quill
Live Workshops
Pre-Writing Your Synopsis
With
Christina Allen
Even established writers dread the synopsis. Why not get it out of the way BEFORE you write the book? Whether you’re a plotter or prefer to discover the story as you go, starting off with a solid synopsis will set you up for success and save editing time down the road. This is a hands-on workshop; come prepared to write!
The Writer's Framework
With
Aminah Mae Safi
The Writer's Framework is designed to give you hands on experiencing in order to solve how you work best. This workshop is designed to set yourself up for success so that when you sit down at the page, you have less of that Blank Page Dread.
Writing Great Dialogue
With
Bryan Young
The art of writing dialogue is difficult to master. In this class, Bryan Young, will walk you through great dialogue as examples, and offer principles to improve your use of dialogue and how to better reveal characters and exposition through speech.
Short Stories: Why and How
With
Terra Luft
This workshop will lay the foundation about WHY short story writing is something all writers should use to build craft skills including quick tips on HOW to write shorter stories – especially if you’re used to writing longer work. Includes hands-on exercises to come away with a plan (but hopefully a draft) for a story.
What Now?: How to Brainstorm New Story Ideas
With
Sofiya Pasternack
We've all experienced the terror of being asked "so what are you working on next?" and having no answer! Come learn how to shake up your creative brain and brainstorm ideas for your next story--and beyond!
Principles of Editing
With
Caryn Larrinaga
Editing your own manuscript is a critical step, even if you plan to work with an editor down the line. Join League of Utah Writers Publications Chair Caryn Larrinaga for an in-depth overview of editing principles and best practices. Bring a 1,000 word sample of your own work (on your laptop or printed out) to self-edit.
Intro to Outlining
With
Rachael Bush
Do you have a great idea, but don't know how to get started writing? In this workshop, you'll take your ideas and turn them into a basic outline covering main plot points, learning how to use scene markers to fill in the gaps. We'll also discuss action tags vs. dialogue tags and how to pick the right POV.
Genres and Tropes as the Backbone of your Story
With
Alex Jay Lore
Understand how different genres and tropes set expectations for your readers and utilize them to build your stories to make them stand out from what's already out there. This workshop will examine a variety of genres and tropes and use how they function and where they overlap to craft unique characters and plots.
Generating Ideas For Your Short Story
With
Cassidy Ward
We'll go through ideas, strategies, and exercises to help you come up with new ideas for short fiction. The focus here is in keeping the ideas flowing so you can keep on writing.
