• The workshop will be held in English.
• Attendance: Limited to ten (10) people. Please note: While only ten people may submit work for critique, anyone attending the conference may attend the workshop and participate in discussion.
• You must be attending the SCBWI Greece Conference to participate.
• Attendees must email a correctly-formatted story (limited to 1000 words maximum) in English based/influenced by one of three myths listed below (or part of one of these myths).
• Email stories to [email protected]
• Deadline for submission is 30 April 2002. Stories must be received by this date.
• Attendees must specify target age group on the manuscript and target market.

Workshop Structure:

• The first two days will be geared to critiquing the submitted drafts.
• The last day will be geared to rewrites and the rewriting process.
• Each participant is expected to rework his or her first draft overnight and to be ready to present a new version for the final session on Sunday morning. [We will have one PC available for rewrites (a sign-up sheet will be provided on the first day of the workshop, Friday). Printers will be available at a couple of the hotels for a small fee, so bring at least one floppy with you. If you bring your portable computer, remember that adapters may vary from country to country.]
• If you can, please bring your inspirational myth with you to the workshop, so we can see where the different interpretations originated.
• Each participant will receive a written one-page critique¦ from the workshop leaders. These will have been prepared in advance of the workshop and distributed after your story has been critiqued by the group on Friday or Saturday.

CHOOSE-A-MYTH
Please select one of the following myths to be your springboard into a complete story of not more than 1000 words:

Orpheus and Eurydice
Demeter and Kore
Theseus and the Minotaur

You can use the whole myth, parts of the myth, characters or ideas from the myth in your work. Your submission can be a straight telling, a retelling or an exploration of any part of the myth you choose. But it should be a complete piece in its own right.

You can write for any age group and for any type of publication (magazine, short story, picture book, etc.) but please specify what you have chosen on the front page of your manuscript along with the source of the myth you have chosen to work with.

All stories should be formatted according to SCBWI guidelines (see From Keyboard to Printed Page at www.scbwi.org for details).

If you have any questions, please write to [email protected].

May the myth be your muse!

Workshop Critiquing Criteria:

1. What do you understand about the main character/ what is his/her problem in the story?
2. How did the character grow or change?
3. Do you understand why the character does what s/he does -- what's his/her motivation -- is it convincing? Is it realistic?
4. Do the characters seem real and different from one another?
5. Is there a BEGINNING, MIDDLE and an END to the story?
6. BEGINNING. Does the first line/first page make you want to keep reading -- is it enough of a hook? Could it be more attention-grabbing?
7. Is this the best place to begin the story?
8. MIDDLE. Is there enough tension or conflict?
9. Does one thing cause the next thing to happen (i.e., is there enough cause and effect?)
10. CLIMAX. Was it as exciting as it could be? Was it over too fast? How about the pacing -- did it lead up to the climax and then wind down in a satisfying way?
11. ENDING. Was the ending satisfying to you/was the story or any part of it boring?
12. Was it fair -- did the child solve the problem? (no adult rescues or "it was all a dream" endings)?
13. Does the dialogue it sound real?
14. Does the dialogue tell us more about the characters -- does it help the reader know the characters better? Is there any ineffective dialogue? Does the dialogue further the story? What about all those "ums," and "ahs" and "wells" -- are they all necessary?
15. What senses did the author use?
16. WORD CHOICES. Were there too many weak verbs and adverbs?
17. What, if anything, did you not understand.
18. MYTH. How was the myth incorporated into the story? Did the story benefit from the myth it shadowed? Does the story provide a new spin on the myth?
19. Other specific suggestions: