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October 2018
You Can Control Time
Instructor: Amanda Korman $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 10/13/18 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Time is an important instrument in your fiction-writing toolbox. In this four-hour seminar, we will learn about the many ways you can play with the speed at which things happen in your stories and novels. We’ll read examples of authors making ample, even wild use of the possibilities, and we’ll do some writing and experimenting of our own. About the Instructor: Amanda Korman is…
Find out more »The Art of Forgiveness: A Writing Retreat (CLASS IS FULL!)
Instructors: Lisa Ellison and Deborah Prum $85 Members | $95 Nonmembers Saturday, 10/27/18 | 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Grievance stories are detrimental to your writing health. Ruminations on bad guys eat up your creative space. Side effects include one-dimensional characters, stale plotlines, and preachy prose. How do you stop nursing a juicy grievance story and regain your creativity? It all comes down to forgiveness. Join Lisa Ellison and Deborah Prum as we explore various aspects of forgiveness. We will…
Find out more »April 2019
Submitting & Publishing: Parts I and II (This seminar is full!)
Instructor: Liza Taylor $30 Members | $32.50 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/6/19 | 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM These back-to-back mini-seminars may be taken separately or together. Part I - Getting Noticed: Submitting your work (10:30 AM - 12:00 PM) Here at WriterHouse we’re taught to be better writers, but it’s up to us to get our work out there and learn how to be writers in the world. So, you might be wondering, how will I know if I’m ready to try…
Find out more »May 2019
The Ins and Outs of Humor Writing – What’s funny and why
Instructor: Tony Vanderwarker $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Part I, Saturday, May 11, 2019, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Part II, Sunday, May 12, 2019, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM This two-part seminar occurs on consecutive days, to allow time to digest the information from the first day and apply it toward writing or revising a piece for the second day. In the opening session, Tony will discuss the elements of humor in writing, using examples from Mel Brooks, David Sedaris and…
Find out more »June 2019
Writing for Magazines (This seminar is full!)
Instructor: Bill Glose $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 6/15/19 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm In this workshop, Bill Glose shares his own roadmap to successful publication to show how to break in at magazines and keep landing assignments after you’ve kicked the door down. You will learn the basics of querying, the three stages of the interview, editorial timelines and relationships, and the art of narrative non-fiction as it applies to both essays and articles. Bill Glose is the author…
Find out more »Plan Your Writing Year (Ongoing class)
Instructor: Jody Hesler $94.50 Members | $105 Nonmembers FOUR Wednesdays, 6/19/19 – 7/10/19 | 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm Let’s make the most of summer’s lull to plan our writing year. This class is meant for writers who want to deepen their commitment to their work in any genre. We will share strategies for keeping up our stamina in the face of daily distractions and disappointments, for writing when the Muse seems to be sleeping, for drafting and for revising…
Find out more »August 2019
Navigating Self-Publishing Using Amazon KDP (This seminar is full!)
Instructor: John Nicolay $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 8/10/19 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm This seminar takes the student through the process of using Amazon’s “Kindle Direct Print” for publishing any project as a softcover book. We will discuss each element of the process, starting with formatting the “to-be” work so that KDP remains happy. John Nicolay is a professor in The Graduate School, University of Maryland. He is an officer with the Blue Ridge Writers, and a…
Find out more »October 2019
Secrets to Writing Every Day – Tricks and Techniques
Instructor: Joan Mazza $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 10/12/19 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Whatever style of writing you do or hope to do, you can develop habits for writing every day and find the time to do so. In this seminar, we will discuss strategies to stay in your writing mind and make creative leaps. We'll talk about how to catch ideas and track them, and how as little as fifteen minutes a day can keep you…
Find out more »Getting Into Character
Instructor: Amanda Korman $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 10/26/19 | 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm What makes a story “unputdownable”? We know that propulsive plots are one way to keep your readers turning the page. But there are plenty of stories where the captivating factor is instead the intrigue of the characters themselves: the way their minds work, the way their particular sensibilities clash against one another. In this afternoon seminar we will discuss strategies for creating consistent, believable…
Find out more »Daytime Generative Writing Class (This class is full!)
Instructor: Sharon Harrigan $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Wednesdays, 9/18/19 – 11/6/19 | 9:30 am -12:00 pm No time for homework? No problem. We’ll do all the writing and critique work in class, so you don’t have to do it at home. Each session will begin with a short meditation to clear our heads. Then the instructor will lead participants through a series of prompts that build on each other and move toward the goal of completing a cohesive story,…
Find out more »November 2019
Submission Bootcamp, Part I: Getting Noticed – Submitting Your Work
Instructor: Liza Taylor $30 Members | $32.50 Nonmembers Saturday, 11/2/19 | 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Note: The Submission mini-seminars may be taken separately or together, but you must register for each one individually. Here at WriterHouse we’re taught to be better writers, but it’s up to us to get our work out there and learn how to be writers in the world. So, you might be wondering, how will I know if I’m ready to try submitting? Liza will…
Find out more »Submission Bootcamp, Part II: I’ve Finished Writing My Book, Now What?
Instructor: Liza Taylor $35 Members | $38 Nonmembers Sunday, 11/3/19 | 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Note: The Submission mini-seminars may be taken separately or together, but you must register for each one individually. As they say at the Publisher’s Clearinghouse, “If you don’t enter, you can’t win.” Finding an agent for your manuscript is tough. This seminar will discuss preparing book manuscripts for submission, researching literary agents, writing and formatting a query letter and synopsis, submission strategies, and dealing…
Find out more »Confessions of a Book Reviewer (Seminar has been canceled!)
Instructor: Bill Glose $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Sunday, 11/10/19 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm As the Books editor for Virginia Living for the past 16 years, Bill Glose has sifted through hundreds of book marketing campaigns. In this seminar, he will discuss how he chooses which books to review and the mistakes that many beginning authors do that harm their chances. He will also discuss the lifespan of a book and show participants how to make a publicity…
Find out more »February 2020
Navigating the Query Trenches: Pitches, Pitfalls, and PitMad
Instructor: Emily Thiede $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 2/15/20 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm There’s a reason many writers describe querying as “going into the trenches,” but like any battle, it’s easier to survive the fight if you start with the right tools in your armory. In this course, we’ll explore resources for building (and narrowing down) a list of agents to query, and the pros-and-cons of non-traditional paths like twitter pitch contests, mentorship competitions, and writing conferences.…
Find out more »Beyond the Banana Peel: A Workshop on Writing Humor (This workshop is full!)
Instructors: Lisa Ellison and Debby Prum $80 Members | $87 Nonmembers Saturday, 2/22/20 | 10:00 am - 3:00 pm NOTE: Maximum number of students - 8 Quote: “If heaven exists, to know there’s laughs, that would be a great thing.” Robin Williams During this four-hour workshop, we will discuss the elements of humor, use improv exercises and film clips to demonstrate those elements and then give participants opportunities to write short humorous pieces. NOTE: Lunch break from 12:00-1:00 PM. Participants…
Find out more »April 2020
Screenwriting 101 (Online course. Cancelled!)
Instructor: Michael Cordell $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Mondays and Wednesdays, 4/15/20 – 6/8/20 | 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm Learn the fundamentals of screenwriting to increase the odds of getting your script read. This class covers key elements of screenwriting, including story structure, character development, dialogue, and exposition. We'll talk about how Hollywood thinks (to the extent that anyone knows how Hollywood thinks), and the class will also be encouraged to submit a story outline or the first ten…
Find out more »Title Wave (Cancelled!)
Instructor: Joan Mazza $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/25/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm A strong title immediately places your work above the work of others. The best agents and editors know that compelling titles are assets to literary successes. Effective titles set the stage for the reader to anticipate interest. In this seminar, we'll explore strategies for choosing titles that attract interest in your writing, no matter the genre. Participants are encouraged to bring a list of…
Find out more »May 2020
Self-Publishing 101 (Cancelled!)
Instructor: Doug Lawson $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/2/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm While traditional publishers are reducing advances, royalties, and asking authors to handle more and more marketing for their books, there's a renaissance happening in the self-publishing world today. New and established writers are bringing their works directly to readers, without stigma, and many are making some decent money as a result. This seminar will focus on what you, as a writer, may need to…
Find out more »July 2020
Staying the Course (Class will meet online)
Instructor: Jody Hesler $260 Members | $289 Nonmembers Meets monthly on Saturday for eleven months: 9/28/19, 10/26/19, 11/23/19, 12/14/19, 1/25/20, 2/29/20 | 1:00 - 4:00 pm NOTE: Due to the pandemic, class switched to 90-minute online meetings, now twice monthly. New dates: 3/28/20, 4/11/20, 4/25/20, 5/9/20, 5/23/20, 6/13/20, 6/27/20 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm. July meeting(s) 7/11/20, 7/25/20. This is a course for committed writers who want some structure and accountability for reaching their writing goals. Reaching these goals is…
Find out more »August 2020
Touring Today’s Publishing Options (Online class)
Instructor: Chris Register $75 Members | $82 Nonmembers Monday - Friday, 8/10/20 - 8/14/20 | 9:30 am – 11:00 am One-week class Getting published has never been easy, but once upon a time the protocol was at least straightforward: writers would focus mainly on searching (and searching, and searching) for a literary agent willing to introduce their manuscript into an otherwise impenetrable industry. Of course, times have changed. While the traditional approach continues to work for many authors, an ever-expanding…
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