March 2010
Writing The Epic Quest with Jack Hillman
Description:
With so much of the focus in writing today on character based stories, what could be more timely than a discussion of the art form that transforms some mild mannered individual into a something totally outside their nature, and not always to the good. Epic quests are not limited to fantasy and science fiction, but have been part of literature since writing was invented. All genre's have their favorite epic quest: the romance of Gone With The Wind, the tragedy of Moby Dick, the excitement of the chase in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the dark power of The Maltese Falcon. All really good novels have a part of the epic quest in their making. We will discuss the breakdown of the various characters that make up the quest- the fellowship- and how each one may play many, and often conflicting, parts as the story unfolds. We will also discuss how the protagonist (not necessarily a hero) is becoming more prevalent in today's literature and how this affects the tone of the quest.
Materials:
Along with the standard writer's pen and paper, it is suggested that you come prepared with at least a general idea outline for your story, including the genre, the setting, and at least some of the main characters of your story.
April – May 2010
Poetry - The Value-Added Workshop: Pairing Generative Work with Liz Chang
Mondays and Wednesdays, April 19 - May 12 at 7:00 PM
Description:
Meeting two times weekly, the first session each week will concentrate on generative exercises focusing on a theme. During the second session each week, the class will workshop pieces by each of the attendees— either the piece students create in response to our exercises or another piece by each poet. Liz will guide the workshops according to Richard Jackson’s ideas of the ideal poetry workshop. There will be short reading assignments associated with each theme to be completed before the first meeting each week.
Materials:
Pen, paper. Reading assignments will be provided.
Selling A Book In The Ever-changing Publishing World Presented by Donna Fletcher
Saturday, April 24, beginning at 9:00 AM
Description:
New technologies and the present economy have presented a challenge to many businesses and the publishing world is no different. Being an author of twenty-seven books spanning twenty years Donna has been challenged by many of them and continues to be challenged by new ones. Though it isn’t easy to get published, it isn’t impossible. Armed with a range of knowledge and determination a writer can become a published author. In this full-day workshop Donna will detail the necessary steps and point out the pitfalls and perils on the path to publication.
The workshop will cover such areas as but not be limited to:
Publishing challenges
Defining your book
Defining the markets
Beginnings
Characters & dialogue
Plotting
How to find an agent
How to submit your work
Hardcover vs. trade vs. mass market
What’s hot and what’s not
E-publishing
Marketing
Critique groups
Writing organizations
Armed and ready for publication
Materials:
Pen and/or pencil, paper.
Handouts will be available for all attendees.
Online Marketing with Ron Hogan
Saturday, May 22, beginning at 1:00 PM
Description:
This workshop is designed to introduce students to the importance of blogs as vehicles of communication and, in some cases, commerce. We'll talk about how writers can use blogs to develop their personal brands and establish an ongoing relationship with readers even before they've published their first work, as well as the opportunities for creative expression. We'll also discuss some of the available technical resources, including their strengths and weaknesses, and touch upon elements of social media technology that can be integrated into a blogging strategy, and about how authors and publishers are using all these tools in today's publishing environment.
Materials: You, a pen and/or a pencil, paper.
June 2010
Playwriting Through Improvisation - A Unique, On-the-Feet Workshop for Writers of All Kinds with Kate McGrath
Saturdays, June 12 - June 26, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Description:
In a series of three, two-hour playwriting workshops, student playwrights will create scenes, dialogues, and characters “on their feet” using a series of theatre improvisation exercises. Ensemble acting and writing techniques will help shape and flesh out students’ own ideas for plays and monodramas using an organic, non-traditional approach to writing for the theatre. Ideal for beginning or experienced playwrights, performance artists, poets, journalists, or actors with a yen to write. Culminates in a final performance of the works-in-progress created, for an invited audience.
Materials:
Hand-outs, playwriting tips, prompts, etc. all provided by the instructor. Space to perform final scene work need not be a theatre space.
July – August 2010
No Classes
September 2010
Writing about Food and Travel with Rich Rubin
Saturdays, September 4 - September 25, beginning at 2:00 PM
Description:
You love to travel. You love to eat. How do you turn these things into a story? The class will consider the basics of writing about food and travel: what information is important? How do I contact the chef and what should I ask him/her? How are recipes obtained and submitted with a story? And, most importantly: what makes a destination (or a chef, or a concept) unique and of interest to a travel or culinary publication? We’ll also talk about more practical issues, such as dealing with a magazine/newspaper world that is shrinking daily. How does someone go about earning a living when magazines are folding and newspapers are in increasingly precarious shape? How do you overcome the tendency away from using freelancers? What opportunities exist in other media? What might be the interest of more generalized magazines, and how can a writer gear a travel or food story to that publication’s area of interest? In short, how can a writer make the move from "I've always loved to travel and eat" to "I'm capable of being paid to write about travel and food"?
October – December 2010
World Building for All Genres with Jack Hillman
Saturday, October 23 starting at 9:00 AM
Description:
No matter what type of novel you are writing, you will need to create the world your characters live in. Some of the simplest world building occurs if your story is set here and now, but even in those instances, you need to watch what building you put at what corner of the street, or even where you put the street. And if your story takes place in another milieu or some far away land (or some far away planet), your world building just became exponentially more involved. We will discuss how to construct the setting of your novel to maintain the continuity of your story, places to find the information needed to make sure you use the right clothing or the correct vehicles and even how to build a world from scratch, complete with its own solar system.
Materials:
Bring your pen, paper, and perhaps a slide rule, and be prepared to discuss the in' and out's, above ground and below, of the world setting of your novel.
Be Your Own Best Fiction Editor with Lisa Diane Kastner
Thursdays, September 30 - December 2, starting at 7:00 PM (excluding Thanksgiving)
Description:
Lisa Kastner will pull from her own writing experience as well as proven prescriptions of industry greats such as Noah Lukeman, Sol Stein, Tim Esaias, and Nancy Zafris to assist writers in editing their works. Each week, Lisa will guide the class in an element of the revision process. Attendees will bring draft manuscripts for hands on work. Through dialogue and exercises, attendees will strengthen key elements of craft that well-known agents and editors look for when reviewing submissions.
Prerequisite:
A completed draft manuscript.
Note:
This course will require significant work. If you are serious about revising your manuscript then I highly encourage you to sign up. This is an instance of “you get out of it as much as you put into it”.
World Building 101 For All Genres with Jack Hillman
Description:
No matter what type of novel you are writing, you will need to create the world your characters live in. Some of the simplest world building occurs if your story is set here and now, but even in those instances, you need to watch what building you put at what corner of the street, or even where you put the street. And if your story takes place in another milieu or some far away land (or some far away planet), your world building just became exponentially more involved. We will discuss how to construct the setting of your novel to maintain the continuity of your story, places to find the information needed to make sure you use the right clothing or the correct vehicles and even how to build a world from scratch, complete with its own solar system.
Materials:
Bring your pen, paper, and perhaps a slide rule, and be prepared to discuss the in' and out's, above ground and below, of the world setting of your novel.
