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Surveillance: What is It, How to Write It

April 15, 2026
You’re writing a mystery or maybe a thriller, and your protagonist needs to surveil a suspected villain to confirm if they really are as bad as alleged. Or, perhaps your character is the one being hunted, his or her every move watched, tracked, and listened to. This is surveillance. If you want to learn about the reality of surveillance so you can write more compelling fiction, tune in to this event to hear from Adam Sikes, a former CIA Officer and expert in physical and technical surveillance.

Book Pipeline

Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

Script Pipeline

Script Pipeline connects writers with producers, agents, and managers, facilitating over $8 million in sales through competitions and ongoing industry support, helping launch major films and secure high-profile representation since 1999.

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Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

10 Questions to Figure Out What Your Memoir is REALLY About

Recorded

March 11, 2026

Duration

2 Hours

Cost

$35

Subject

Publishing

Topic

Craft

Memoir is a deeply challenging genre for any writer seeking to parlay real-life events into a story that connects with total strangers. As Mary Karr observes, “a fiction writer starts with meaning and then manufactures events to represent it; a memoirist starts with events, then derives meaning from them.” Deriving meaning is a lengthy, complex process and not at all obvious to any writer who attempts it.

One big challenge at the outset is figuring out the “container” for your book: Where to begin, where to end, what to include, what to exclude, and how to tell a compelling story about your transformational journey.

This is a tall order! This symposium explores a framework of 10 essential questions to help you make critical choices about your book’s structure and to see the big picture.

This presentation will cover:

  • A step-by-step overview of the 10 questions addressing a range of considerations, including your “why” for the book, its point, the archetype shaping your story, nailing your book’s concept, defining the ideal reader, and more.
  • Brief analysis of how well-written memoirs are put together.
  • A chance to work on one or two of the 10 questions and receive group feedback.

You will learn:

  • Strategies for putting your story into a deeper, broader context
  • To understand the strengths and weaknesses of your approach to your story
  • To recognize common pitfalls of the memoir genre
  • Factors to consider when deciding the scope of your story, including the beginning and ending.

What attendees have said ...

"As with a good author, a good speaker is one you can connect to; one who can bring feelings bubbling to the surface, and one who leaves you satisfied with the content covered but also wanting to know more. In this webinar, Amy L. Bernstein covered familiar topics in a way which seemed to carry more weight, more meaning and more impact than other presentations I have attended on the same topics. I am grateful for the time invested. I will be on the look-out for more of her work, as well as more offerings from SYMPOSIUM. I trust them to find speakers with equal impact as Ms. Bernstein. Thank you for this offering."

"Very informative. Redirected my thinking related to several ideas related to my memoir story 'plot.'"

Host

Amy L. Bernstein
Amy L. Bernstein writes award-winning, genre-crossing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her most recent book is Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration, a hybrid work for self-doubting creatives, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Grand Prize. Her fifth novel, Tent City, is forthcoming from Running Wild Press. Amy is also a professional book coach, helping nonfiction writers to […]

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Upcoming Events

Surveillance: What is It, How to Write It

April 15, 2026
You’re writing a mystery or maybe a thriller, and your protagonist needs to surveil a suspected villain to confirm if they really are as bad as alleged. Or, perhaps your character is the one being hunted, his or her every move watched, tracked, and listened to. This is surveillance. If you want to learn about the reality of surveillance so you can write more compelling fiction, tune in to this event to hear from Adam Sikes, a former CIA Officer and expert in physical and technical surveillance.

Deconstructing Books for Craft and Marketability: Read Like a Writer

April 22, 2026
Learn how to turn every book you read into a craft lesson. We’ll analyze openings, character construction, themes, and endings to uncover the mechanics beneath the magic. Instead of guessing what works, you’ll learn directly from stories that have already earned their place on the shelf: how authors hook readers, build momentum, and deliver satisfying endings that helped them secure publication in the first place.

Building a Powerful Query Letter

April 29, 2026
In this practical session, author Angela Douglas will show you how to take the key elements of a strong pitch: your logline, comparable titles and bio and turn them into a clear, engaging query letter that stands out in a crowded inbox.

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Better Your Chances of Getting an Agent, Manager or Mentor

March 18, 2026
We all know the struggle. It feels harder than ever before to find an agent, or even a mentor to help with a little advice or guidance. This session will give you that insight and those tools. It'll be equal parts irreverent, fun, and really useful. Packed with practical things you can do to differentiate yourself from the masses, and make yourself more of an undeniable catch.

10 Questions to Figure Out What Your Memoir is REALLY About

March 11, 2026
Memoir is a deeply challenging genre for any writer seeking to parlay real-life events into a story that connects with total strangers. One big challenge at the outset is figuring out the “container” for your book: Where to begin, where to end, what to include, what to exclude, and how to tell a compelling story about your transformational journey.

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

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