The Storyboard Renaissance: Whole Manuscript Showcase, by Kristen C. Strocchia

We’ve probably all walked away from a critique thinking, “If (agent/editor) could just see the whole story, then . . .” maybe they would fall in love or, at least, maybe they could better advise the opening or diagnose why the hook doesn’t seem to be working, etc.

The upcoming Storyboard Renaissance event (Saturday, September 21) is designed to provide that whole-story attention that can inform the big-picture editing pass. It will speak to your hook, voice, character, and plot as a whole, without the cost of a full manuscript edit or a whole novel retreat. Even if your story is not fully written, you can use this half-day workshop to get professional prewriting guidance for brainstorming and/or plotting ahead.

How does it work?

1. Prepare a trifold display board (available online or where art and office supplies are sold) that visualizes your manuscript’s plot and character. Follow along with the upcoming Storyboard Prep blog series this summer for tips.
2. Choose a faculty mentor (each mentor is limited to five mentees).
3. Submit a one-page synopsis plus the first two pages of your manuscript ahead of the event for critique. This will be read by your faculty mentor and a mentee peer group (maximum of four other participants with your shared mentor).
4. Attend the event on September 21 where you will display your Storyboard and meet with your faculty mentor and peer group to give and receive feedback. All attending faculty will have the opportunity to check out all of the Storyboard displays in the showcase.

This workshop is open to picture book writers as well. We are still confirming faculty for the event, but start storyboarding, and stay tuned for registration information and the Storyboard Prep series on the blog in the coming weeks.