Faculty: Les Standiford

January 22-24, 2026

STRUCTURE--WHAT I STOLE FROM HOLLYWOOD. A three-day workshop focused on narrative structure and the composition of effective scenes in fiction, memoir, and narrative non-fiction, informed by the instructor's experience as a WGA-credited screenwriter and a graduate of the American Film Institute.

Submission guidelines:

In a single file, submit up to 25 pages of a book-length work in fiction, nonfiction or memoir, plus a 1-page synopsis (as p. 26).  Synopsis should include the following: one brief paragraph summarizing the book and status of the project (i.e., unfinished first draft, completed first draft, completed draft which has undergone multiple revisions, etc.). If you are submitting a portion which appears later in the work (for example, pages 26-50), provide a detailed synopsis of the pages prior to your submission (e.g. pages 1-24).       

PLEASE NOTE: we are reading to assess the strength and readiness of the manuscript for workshop. What you submit here will be what you workshop during the conference. 

Required format for writing samples:  

1. Accepting Word documents only (.doc or .docx only)
2. Page numbers must be consecutive throughout the manuscript.
3. Font must be 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial. 
4. Margins must be 1 inch.
5. All manuscripts must be double-spaced including 1-page synopsis. All manuscripts must contain a header or footer with page numbers and author’s name.
6. No extra spacing between paragraphs except when indicating a transition.
7. If you submit more than 26 pages (25 pages of manuscript + 1-page synopsis), only the first 25 pp will be read and considered.
8. Do not include title pages or dedications.
9. Submit manuscript + synopsis as a single file (with synopsis as final page).