And the good news is… after a few years hiatus while life spun out of control, I’m able to once again offer on-line workshops about the craft of writing and living the writing life. All workshops are currently conducted via Yahoo Groups, but I am open to the idea of using a closed Facebook Group in the future.
I’ve put together a schedule for the next few months:
October 2017: Leaping Over Stumbling Blocks
- Writing Life
- Workshop runs 4 weeks
They take many shapes, and we all run into them from time to time during our writing careers. They are those horrid stumbling blocks that have us writing the wrong things or that keep us from writing anything at all while we struggle to get past them. Whether we get stuck on one plot point, or run into a wall with writing in general, stumbling blocks affect all of us. In this workshop we look at the stumbling blocks we all face, how they show up, and discuss ways to get past them and back on track.
- Registration open now.
- Registration fee: $30
- Includes critique of 10 pages from your manuscript
- Email me to register
November 2017 – Avoiding Author Intrusion
- Writing Craft
- Workshop runs 4 weeks
Author intrusion jars readers, slows the pacing of your work, and puts a barrier between your reader and the story’s emotion. It often brings about contrived or impossible situations and breaks that magical connection between story-teller and reader. In this workshop we take a close look at author intrusion–one of fiction’s most deadly diseases. We’ll talk about what it is, identify how it shows up in your work and, most importantly, help you understand what to do about it and how to avoid it.
- Registration open now.
- Registration fee: $30
- Includes critique of 10 pages from your manuscript
- Email me to register
December 2017 — Happy Holidays!
We’re taking the month of December off. Have a safe and happy holiday season.
January 2018 — The Life and Times of… (Creating Characters with Character)
- Writing Craft
- Workshop runs 4 weeks
From hero and heroine to protagonist and antagonist, from main characters to sidekicks and walk-ons, you’ll learn the art and craft of breathing life into the people who walk the pages of your manuscript. Learn how to discover your characters’ motivations and conflicts, and how to add those little touches that take characters from ordinary to extraordinary. Learn how to discover what moves your characters, what your characters value, how to identify the conflicts your characters face, how to conduct character interviews, how to see the world through your characters’ eyes, and how to create a character arc.
- Registration opens November 1st
- Registration fee: $30
- Includes critique of 10 pages from your manuscript
February 2018 — Mastering Story Conflict
- Writing Craft
- Workshop runs 4 weeks
This workshop focuses on the art and craft of creating realistic, believable conflict for your character, both internal and external, and on weaving those conflict together in ways that are fresh, exciting, and powerful enough to catch an editor’s eye. Topics include understanding how a character’s core beliefs create conflict; how internal and external conflicts work together; when to hang on to / let go of a character’s past; keeping conflicts realistic; creating layers of conflict; why urgency matters in conflict; applying conflict to each scene you write; avoiding anticipated conflict
- Registration opens December 1st
- Registration fee: $30
- Includes critique of 10 pages from your manuscript
March 2018 — Mastering Character Motivation
- Writing Craft
- Workshop runs 4 weeks
Designed to give writers the tools they need to create believable motivation that’s strong enough to drive a story from beginning to end. We discuss how to avoid clichéd and contrived motivations, how to build on your basic characterization to create people who actively push your story forward, how to know when a character’s motivation needs to change, and much more.
- Registration opens January 1st
- Registration fee: $30
- Includes critique of 10 pages from your manuscript
Dancing on Coals 