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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 »September 2019
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 »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 »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…
Find out more »October 2020
The Buoyancy of Hope: A Workshop Fostering Resilience in Your Creative Life (Online seminar) – CANCELED!
Facilitator: Deborah Prum $40 Members | $45 Nonmembers* Session One, Wednesday, 10/21/20 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am Session Two, Wednesday, 10/28/20 | 10:00 am – 11:30 am NOTE: 8 participant maximum *WriterHouse is able to offer this class at a significant discount because the instructor has very generously agreed to donate part of her fee. Last February, we wondered how long our lives would be affected by the pandemic. Most of us thought in terms of days and weeks,…
Find out more »November 2020
Chopped: The Writing Class (Online class, This class is full!)
Instructor: Jody Hobbs Hesler $115 Members | $128 Nonmembers Thursdays, 9/17/20 - 11/5/20 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Inspired by the TV cooking game show "Chopped," this generative writing class will present students with a new "basket" of four "ingredients" each week. "Ingredients" might include objects, people, moods, genres, etc. During our writing time, each writer will not only include all four items, but must "transform" them so that they work together organically. Students may write fiction, nonfiction, or…
Find out more »Surviving The Query Trenches: “Pitching, Pitfalls, and PitMad, Oh My!” (Online seminar) – Cancelled!
Instructor: Emily Thiede $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Session One, Saturday, 11/7/20 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Session Two, Sunday, 11/8/20 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 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…
Find out more »January 2021
Staying the Course (Online class)
Instructor: Jody Hobbs Hesler $260 Members | $289 Nonmembers Every other Saturday for eleven months, 9/19/20 - 7/24/21 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm This course is designed for writers charting their way through longer projects, such as novels, memoirs, story collections, etc., but it could also work for writers who are simply working toward a more disciplined writing practice. In this class, we will set broad goals for the year and more specific targets for each next class meeting; discuss…
Find out more »Multi-genre course: The Language of Environment (Online course) – This class is full!
Instructor: Erika Howsare $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Mondays and Wednesdays, 1/11/21 – 3/3/21 | 4:00 pm – 5:15 pm “Nature writing” might make you think of Thoreau or John Muir, but it’s obvious that the world has moved beyond the state of idyllic wilderness. We need writing that tries to reckon with our current conditions—finding words for the grief, rage, and yet joy and connection that we feel in the midst of the Anthropocene. This will be a multi-genre…
Find out more »Chopped: The Writing Class (Online course)
Instructor: Jody Hobbs Hesler $115 Members | $128 Nonmembers Thursdays, 1/14/21 – 3/4/21 | 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Inspired by the TV cooking game show Chopped, this generative writing class will present students with a new "basket" of four "ingredients" each week. "Ingredients" might include objects, people, moods, genres, etc. During our writing time, each writer will not only include all four items, but must "transform" them so that they work together organically. Students may write fiction, nonfiction, or…
Find out more »