THE WRITER STUFF – David Gerrold
In “The Writer Stuff” seminar David Gerrold determines the material by the needs of the participants, focusing on breaking through the challenges of characterization, structure, language, self-discipline, marketing, and specific personal challenges in storytelling. His goal is not to teach writing, but to train writers to function as their own unique voice.
FROM THE DOJO TO THE PAGE: Write Fight Scenes – CM Adler
You want to write a fight scene. You want blood, sweat, and tears to pour onto the pages of your manuscript. You want the reader to experience your scene so completely that when they are reading it and their toddler/mom/cat strolls into the room, they jump to their feet with their hands in fists because your absolutely epic bad guy is COMING TO GET THEM!
STRUCTURING LIFE TO SUPPORT CREATIVITY – Sandra Tayler
Life is complicated, and often, those complications don’t leave space for the creative work we want to have in our lives. Join Sandra Tayler to learn why that happens and how to shift your life so that there is space for creativity to flourish inside it. This class is designed to help you decide on concrete steps you can take to restructure your life so there is more space and time for the creative things you want to do.
PERSONA POETRY AND WORLD BUILDING (and breaking)! – Gary Jackson
This workshop will explore how to craft persona poetry that utilizes established voices (like Marvel and DC superheroes) to build and break reader expectations, as well as forging your own unique voice to give life to original speakers and characters. We’ll generate new poems and drafts through a series of exercises, look at published work from established authors, and discuss revision activities and workshop tips to aid your writing practice.
REPETITION IN WRITING: The Pattern Behind the Magic – Juliette Wade
Repetition is something human brains are highly attuned to, and it occurs at many different levels of complexity in writing. We will explore the simple word patterns that underlie all kinds of traditional writing instruction, including terms like “alliteration” and “theme” as well as familiar suggestions like “don’t use the same word twice,” “don’t use adverbs,” and others.
MAKING CONNECTIONS – Michael Todd Gallowglas
From the first sentence to the last, the stories that linger are those that weave a web of connecting elements across the narrative. Characters connect to the setting. Settings connect to the action, affecting the outcome of conflicts. The resolution of conflicts should fundamentally change every character involved. Michael Gallowglas will lead you through a series of directed exercises that will show you how to weave connections in ways that would make Arachne and Anansi jealous.