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FictionScience Fiction and Fantasy WorkshopS11-F01
Writing Crime/Mystery/Suspense FictionS11-F02
Storyboarding for WritersS11-F03
Outlining for Pantsers and PlottersW11-F06
Brick by Brick: Writing the Perfect SceneW11-F02
Character Development WorkshopS11-F04
Setting: Defining Space for Your CharactersS11-F05
Writing the Truth in FictionS11-F06
You are here > Home >Spring 2011 Seminars, Courses & Workshops > Fiction |
Monthly Story SlamTues., May 15, 7-8:30 p.m. Lunch Break Book TalksHosted by Steve Huff Book Discussions at Valley ManorMay 16, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. The Culinary Reading and Discussion GroupHosted by Sandy Bosworth & Kathy Pottetti
Click here for more May Events...
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| Writers & Books, Rochester's community literary center, inspires and instructs over 25,000 people each year through a wide array of offerings in nearly every literary genre. Believing that the written and spoken word are central to our lives and culture, Writers & Books celebrates, promotes and works to make them available to all. Writers & Books is located at 740 University Avenue, near Atlantic Avenue in the Neighborhood of the Arts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Science fiction stories--in print and on the big screen--are more popular than ever. Whether you are interested in writing short stories or novels, this workshop will guide you through the challenges of writing tales of science fiction (that extrapolate upon scientific theory) and fantasy stories (that involve elements of myth or magic). Learn all about the genres and sub-genres that make up this thriving literature, as well as how to market your work to appropriate publishers. Participants are expected to share at least a first draft of a short story or one chapter of a novel with the group for constructive in-class critique sessions. The workshop will be topped off with a visit from the Rochester Speculative Literature Association (R-SPEC, http://r-spec.org/).
The field of CRIME FICTION is wide and deep and perennially popular. If you scan any current best seller list, you’ll find three or more titles that are crime fiction in one of its vast variety of forms. These include the classic mystery “whodunit”; the private eye detective and the police procedural; the historical mystery; the spy/espionage novel; the contemporary thriller; and the novel of psychological suspense. There are also fantasy mysteries and science fiction detectives. In all of these, the one common, necessary element is the commission of some kind of crime. In this workshop we will first look briefly at the diversity of crime fiction. Then, because participants will learn how to critique their work with an eye toward publication, everyone will be required to write a short story. The workshop will be held off-site and is limited to 10 participants.
Whether you write short stories, memoir, novels, or creative essays, storyboarding is an often overlooked weapon in the writer’s toolbox. It can be invaluable in planning a work or critiquing a completed draft. We will establish the essential terminology requisite to storyboarding, explore the various ways to construct a storyboard using software or paper, and examine its effectiveness in creating well-plotted, thematically coherent, and adequately developed works. Discussion will center around your works-in-progress. There will be a short break for lunch.
Do you write your stories by the seat of your pants, or do you map your way well ahead of time? Either way, learning to use various types of outlines to keep you on track or to keep track of where you’ve been will help you to develop incredible stories. Outlining isn’t necessarily plotting every aspect of your story, but by using various techniques for character development and plot development, I will show writers how to ensure they never get lost while writing again.
Whether you write novels, short stories, scripts, or even flash fiction, the scene is the building block, the story within the story, the argument that supports your theme. . .in short, the brickwork of the story. The purpose of this class is to study and practice how to construct the perfect scene. We will review all the elements that belong to a scene (action, conflict, motivation, dialogue, setting, arc, beginning hook, ending hook, point-of-view, shot, beats, etc.), the way a scene is cobbled together with exposition, and how longer works can be plotted prior to the writing process to insure that you have established an effective throughline that sustains interest, stays on message, and engages your audience.
Novels and short stories are good or bad in direct proportion to how real their characters seem. This three-hour workshop is designed to acquaint both the beginning and advanced fiction writer with the principles of what makes characters both interesting and real, and with strategies designed to help the writer avoid some common misconceptions that often lead even good writers to create unconvincing characters.
Do you get stuck when trying to build strong settings? Oftentimes, setting can become forgotten or lost amongst characters and plots. But place is uniquely tied to who your character currently is and who they might become. They need that space to react against. Here, learn how to write settings that move stories and essays along without turning into “flowery” additions. Bring your fiction (this could be short stories or novel chapters), and through exercises and workshop, we will work on developing better settings that will create and evoke mood and tone while revealing new and exciting visuals to your readers. We will also use these exercises to strengthen your characters and enhance their consistency. 
Do you wonder where fiction stories come from, or how they are written? Do you have so many ideas and stories in your head, but do not know how to put them to paper? Or perhaps it’s the opposite, you love to write, but don’t know what to write or how to organize it. This class will give you building blocks for understanding the process of writing short stories, while showing you how to use what you already know—your life—to write them. Through reading and discussion, we will look at such fictional elements as character, plot, point of view, voice, dialogue, and setting. Writers we will read include: Eudora Welty, Amy Tan, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and many other strong and descriptive examples. Bring your pens and your ideas and let’s write!