WORKSHOPS
1 Saturday 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 4/5 Bethesda All $50
4 Stories, 4 Weeks For the intermediate short story writer: work on four short stories in a guided process that covers the elements of fiction and short story writing. 4 Mondays 6-8 p.m. 4/7-4/28 Bethesda Intermediate $135
The Short Story: Point of View Jennifer Buxton Why do some writers claim that point of view is the single most important decision a writer makes? This workshop will explore the powers and limitations of various points of view. We will workshop student stories with emphasis on how each writer’s choice of perspective helps or hinders the tale being told and whether the story is fully developed. Weekly discussion of outside stories demonstrating the wide range of choices facing the fiction writer. Note: No class on 4/14. 4/7-5/5 $195
4/12 $50
Historical Fiction Do you have a story set in ancient Rome, during the American Civil War or in more recent history? (The 1960s, for instance.) Are you using history in a fantasy, adventure or the Western? The rebirth of historical fiction has opened up exciting opportunities for fiction writers. Learn how to weave historical details into your stories and bring the past to life for your readers. Come join us for coffee, pastries and a dynamic discussion! 1 Saturday 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bethesda All
4/26 $50
Mixed Genre Getting Started: Creative Writing Elizabeth Rees If you have always wanted to write but haven’t known how to begin, this is the workshop for you! We will explore journals, short stories, poems and memoirs in order to “jump start” your writing. Exercises done in the workshop will focus on transforming a creative idea into actual words on a page. Note: No Class 2/15.
Flash Fiction Sinta Jimenez In this workshop, participants will learn how to craft compelling flash fiction, or fiction consisting of 1,000 words or fewer. In this concise form, students will learn how to compress their fiction and create stories with an emphasis on the importance of each individual word. 4 Wednesdays 6-8 p.m. 4/9-4/30 Bethesda Intermediate $135
Fiction Master Class Kathryn Johnson Scenes...scenes...scenes! They are the building blocks of all fiction. This advanced workshop series is all about creating powerful scenes that propel your plot forward, develop characters, bond readers to your characters and produce vivid imagery. Students will have the opportunity to submit written scenes for feedback from classmates and instructor. 4 Wednesdays 7-9:30 p.m. Bethesda Master
1 Saturday 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bethesda All
Kathryn Johnson
Sinta Jimenez
4 Mondays 7-9:30 p.m. Bethesda All
sider for publication. Find out how to bring your writing style into the 21st century and increase your chances of publication. A lively discussion with loads of tips guaranteed.
4/9-4/30 $195
Tighten Up Your Prose! Kathryn Johnson Writing styles have changed drastically over the years. We can no longer afford to write like Melville. Publishers look for vivid, sharp, clean prose in the novels and short stories they con-
8 Saturdays 1-3:30 p.m. Bethesda All
1/11-3/8 $360
Imagery in Prose and Poetry Nan Fry Everything we know, think or feel comes to us first through the senses. As a result, imagery, the representation of sense experience in language, provides a way for prose writers and poets to create a world on the page that the reader can enter imaginatively. In this workshop, we’ll see how a few modern and contemporary authors use imagery to activate the senses and participants will have an opportunity to practice creating images that will deepen and enliven their work.
Get Your Work Read and Noticed Dave Singleton Getting published is hard, so how can make sure your writing finds an audience and gets noticed? This workshop will lay it all out for you. You’ll learn basic skills such as how to brand yourself and promote your work. You’ll also get an overview of the many inexpensive and free resources available to writers on the web. This includes introductions to promoting on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other emerging social media. This workshop will explore what a platform is and how you can create one for yourself. 1 Saturday 2-4 p.m. Bethesda All
1/25 $40
QueerLit Workshop Sinta Jimenez The queer literature workshop will focus on gay, lesbian, transgender and queer issues and themes in fiction and poetry. While working to improve finesse in form, poetics and content, this class also will analyze the work through the sensibilities and culture of the LGBT community. 8 Mondays 6-8 p.m. Bethesda All
2/3-3/24 $290
Feature Writing Workshop Ellyn Wexler Learn to craft nonfiction feature stories for newspapers, magazines and websites. Career writer and editor will offer tips, tools and techniques for identifying a good subject, interviewing, using research and multiple sources, writing headlines and lead sentences, using quotations and structuring story, from outline through rough draft to polished professional product. The goal is for students to produce four stories during the eight weeks. 8 Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Bethesda All
2/26-4/16 $290
Truth or “Truthiness” Christine Koubek
We will use writing prompts, published work and truthful but tactful critiques, as well as discussions about the various components of writing (point of view, language, setting, etc.) to learn how to tell the story you really want to tell, the way you want to tell it. Each participant may have up to 15 pages critiqued.
What do Stephen Colbert and John Lennon have in common with writers? They believe - as John Lennon once said - ”Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.” Whether we write fiction or nonfiction, we work with a varying mix of the real and the imagined. What is the role of imagination in fiction? What is its role in essays and memoirs? Using examples that straddle the line between genres, we’ll look at strategies employed by fiction writers to create illusions of reality and memoirist techniques to shape lived experience. We’ll also play with some of the techniques in our own work.
8 Wednesdays 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 1/15-3/5 Bethesda Beg/Intermediate $360
1 Saturday 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bethesda All
1 Saturday 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 1/11 Bethesda Intermediate $50
Memoir and Literary Fiction Lynn Stearns
Workshop & Event Guide Winter 2013-2014
25
3/1 $50
workshops
understand how characters drive organic narratives. In-class exercises and reading examples will illustrate ways to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your story’s development and direction.