Winter 2003 Workshops at Writers & Books

Fiction

Write a Novel in a Year

• W3-166
• Instructor: Marcos Donnelly [ bio ]
• Last Saturday of each month for one year,
  starting January 25, 9 am–2 pm
• $720 W&B Members/$745 General Public
  $360 of which is due upon registration.
• Restricted to Five Students

Anyone who’s ever attempted to write a novel and eventually sets it aside, understands the complexities of pulling all the novel elements together into something cohesive and entertaining.

Writing a novel is a lonely and sometimes frustrating task. Support and feedback from a trusted source could go a long way toward alleviating that frustration. Some students may accomplish a totally finished manuscript, ready to submit, by year’s end, but our goal will be to complete at least a first draft of your novel.

Prior to the first class, students will submit work to the instructor, which will be critiqued during class. Subsequent classes will address pacing, conflict and motivation and will center on the overall picture, not minutiae. The sticky details are best left to the second draft.

The Art of Horror

• W3-167
• Instructors: Robbi Hess [ bio ] & Donna M. Marbach [ bio ]
• 4 Wednesdays, starting January 29, 6–8 pm
• $60 W&B Members/$73 General Public
• Limit: 15
• This course is appropriate for older teens as well as adults

Got the mid-winter blues and feel like you need a little excitement to get the blood pumping again? If so, we may have just the remedy for you. If you love vampires, ghosts and other creepy things, you will love this workshop. Do you pre-order Stephen King and Ann Rice books? Do you have the complete video collection of Friday the 13th? Ever wanted to try writing a scary story yourself?

Then come join us for a few evenings of fright, laughter, and learning. Together, we will explore some of the history of horror writing and look at a few examples by noted authors. We will review basic writing techniques with an eye to those most applicable to the horror genre. Mostly though, it will be a class of experimentation and fun. We will provide in-class “recipes“ and writing prompts to get you started, but the writing part will be up to you.

So dust off those story skeletons, wake up those psychopathic thoughts and join us for a mid-winter fright fest. The course will end with a reading and a small party. There, we will share our best work with each other (and friends and family if you’re brave enough). And as a special added treat, we will feature a reading by at last one internationally published horror writer.

The Novel–How the Heck do I Get Started?

• W3-126
• Instructor: T. Lucien Wright [ bio ]
• 8 Wednesdays, starting January 29, 7–9 pm
• $116 W&B Members/$142 General Public
• Limit: 10

You’re well into your novel and you’re wondering how it’s going. This workshop is designed to determine exactly how it’s going, what needs fixing, and what doesn’t. It will address all the novel elements and your level of expertise concerning those elements.

Conflict, motivation and pesky subplots will also be discussed. At least fifty pages of your novel will be scrutinized during the workshop. The goal is to have the first three chapters spit-shined and ready to submit by the end of the workshop.

Advanced Fiction

• W3-123
• Instructor: Darby Knox [ bio ]
• 6 Saturdays, starting February 1, 10:30 am–1 pm
• $116 W&B Members/$142 General Public
• Limit: 12

How close to publication is your work? Are your characters consistent? Is the story clear? Does your dialogue ring true? How important is style? Voice? Theme?

Advanced Fiction is a hands-on workshop for writers who are ready to share their work with others to help answer these questions and more. In a supportive atmosphere students will read aloud in class, discuss a wide variety of fiction-writing theories and techniques, and concentrate on direction for revision.

A short story, novella or novel in progress is required for class. Lively discussion and debate are encouraged. Previous workshop experience recommended.

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