April 2020
Cville YA Writers Group 2020 (April Meetings Online)
This group is open to any member of WriterHouse. We welcome more voices in our lively discussions about writing as it pertains to the YA audience. Questions? Contact Bonnie Redding at riderwriter5@yahoo.com
Find out more »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) to be determined. Currently 1 meeting, 7/25/20. This is a course for committed writers who want some structure and accountability for reaching their writing…
Find out more »Daytime Poetry (Online course)
Instructor: Mariflo Stephens $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4/14/20 – 6/4/20 | 10:00 am – 11:15 am Whether you're an experienced poet who has worked in the field for years or an aspiring writer who needs direction or impetus, this class can help jump start your creative impulse. Each week we’ll experiment with a poetic technique, then write a poem to workshop the next week. In our discussions, we will focus on revision techniques, and there will…
Find out more »Advanced Fiction/Nonfiction Workshop (Online course)
Instructor: Jay Kauffmann $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4/14/20 - 6/4/20 | 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM The goal of this Advanced Fiction and Creative Nonfiction workshop is to push you to a new level of professionalism and take you from a first draft to a submission-ready final draft. The workshop will be about quality, not quantity, as we adopt a more tough-minded, detailed approach. Since everyone is expected to have a certain level of experience, we…
Find out more »Evening Poetry: Day in/Day out (Online course)
Instructor: John Most $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4/14/20 – 6/4/20 | 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm In this class, open to all poets, we will spend the bulk of our time writing, reworking, and discussing new poems. We will also focus on the daily precursors of poetry: observations, notes, journals, conversations, poems, books…. Our guiding question will be how are we working into/out of a poem. John Most earned his PhD in media philosophy from the…
Find out more »Daytime Generative Writing (Online course)
Instructor: Sharon Harrigan $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Wednesdays and Fridays, 4/15/20 – 6/5/20 | 9:30 am – 10:45 am 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…
Find out more »Writing, Revising, Pitching: Getting Your Novel Out of the Drawer and Off to Market (Will meet online)
Instructor: Randall Klein$1299* Members | $1299* NonmembersSelect Wednesdays 1/15/20 – 11/4/20 | 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM*Payment plans of $309 per quarter will be available to students accepted into this program. NOTE: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, effective 4/15/20 the class will meet via Zoom. Overview: For most novelists, the ultimate goal is to get published. Before that, however, comes much revision, along with some frustration and confusion at a seemingly impenetrable system of submission, waiting, and hoping. "Writing, Revising,…
Find out more »Screenwriting 101 (Online course)
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 »Reading for Craft: Fiction and Nonfiction (Online course)
Instructor: Jody Hesler $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Thursdays, 4/16/20 – 6/18/20 | 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (10 week class) In this class we’ll be reading published short stories and essays that employ craft strategies in especially unique or effective ways. We’ll dig deep into each piece to see what makes it work, or what keeps it from working, for each of us. Stronger readers make stronger writers, so we will be able to apply what we learn from…
Find out more »Evening Advanced Fiction Workshop: Voice and Character Development (Online course)
Instructor: Kristie Smeltzer $189 Members | $210 Nonmembers Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4/16/20 – 6/9/20 | 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm This workshop-heavy class will provide writers at least three opportunities to have a full class workshop. Students will have one-on-one feedback sessions with both instructor and classmates. Participants are required to have fiction work ready to workshop at the outset of class or be able to produce material week-to-week. Students will be asked to write, read, and provide feedback to…
Find out more »Picture Book Boot Camp (Online seminar)
Instructor: Hannah Barnaby $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/18/20 | 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm What makes picture books so magical? The alchemy of text and art creates a unique medium for a story, turning it into something more than just the combination of words and pictures. It might seem like a mystery, but writing picture books is far from impossible -- it just takes a special set of skills and a peek behind the curtain. Hannah Barnaby --…
Find out more »Propelled by Story, Constrained by Truth: Exploring the Boundaries of Narrative Nonfiction (Online seminar)
Instructor: Chris Register $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 4/25/20 | 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Narrative nonfiction authors face many decisions along their journey from proposal to print. Whether curating material for a historical snapshot, recreating conversations for a travelogue, or painting a scene for a memoir, the challenges are the same: where to begin, what to tell and leave out (and in what order), how much dialogue versus backstory to employ, and—of course—that elephant in the writing room: to…
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 »Putting the Pen to the Page: Drafting Your Novel in One Year (Ongoing class)
Instructor: Kristen-Paige Madonia $1,399* Members | $1,399* Nonmembers Select Mondays, 9/9/19 - 6/29/20** | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM *Payment plans of $335 per quarter will be available to students accepted into this program. NOTE: THE APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THIS PROGRAM HAS PASSED. Overview: Putting the Pen to the Page is an opportunity for writers to study the craft of creative writing, share and workshop portions of their novel manuscript, provide and receive constructive criticism, and work with a…
Find out more »Literary Fiction Critique Group 2020
This is a closed group facilitated by Lauren Hebert for writers who seek thoughtful critical feedback on their work and are able to provide the same support for other group members. In addition to reading and commenting on individual submissions, we also engage in craft-related discussions, writing exercises, and free-write sessions.
Find out more »Rabbit Holes and Easter Eggs: Writing Historical Fiction
Instructor: Liza Taylor $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/9/20 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Liza Nash Taylor’s two forthcoming historical novels are set in 1925 and 1931. ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS, partially set in Keswick and Charlottesville, comes out August 18. IN ALL GOOD FAITH will follow in 2021. Liza will supply resources and discuss pitfalls, Easter eggs, and cheats for research techniques for setting, characters, and working with historical figures, as well as crafting period-appropriate dialogue and backgrounds.…
Find out more »Flash Fiction: Standing Dangerously Close to the Flame
Instructor: Debbie Daniel $60 Members | $65 Nonmembers Saturday, 5/9/20 | 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Flash dance. Flash fire. Flash bulb. Flash flood. Flash burn. Flash mob. Flash point. Let’s explore the genre we call flash, both the stand-alone story and the novella-in-flash. We’ll attempt to pin down what it is, and discover how to make one out of shiny words and bangles and churning clouds and unique characters you might notice sitting on a bus or in an…
Find out more »Continuing Novel Work Group 2020
This is a closed writing group organized by member Chris Tucker. Members are graduates of the Putting the Pen to the Page year-long novel class.
Find out more »WriterHouse Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror/Speculative Fiction Writers Group 2020
Do rolling green hills inspire you to think of brutal orc armies bearing down on ancient elfin civilizations? Intrepid heroes slashing their way through overgrown jungles in search of the one cure to a deadly pandemic? Forgotten tribes descended from a humanoid ancestor other than our own? Government enclaves for top secret and highly unethical experiments? Mother Nature’s healing touch after the nuclear apocalypse? If so then we would love to hear about it! The WriterHouse Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror/Speculative Fiction Writers Group…
Find out more »Poets At Large 2020
This is a closed group facilitated by Sharon Ackerman and Priscilla Melchior. The group's goal is a detailed study of the craft of poetry.
Find out more »Dabblers Group 2020
This is a writing group organized by member Carol Cutler that meets in the Salon. The group members review each other's writing in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry with submissions once a month. The group is currently looking for 2 or 3 more members. If you are interested in joining, please contact Carol Cutler at carolcutler@embarqmail.com.
Find out more »WriterHouse Spring Class Reading and Birthday Celebration!
Join us for food and fun as we celebrate the writing created during the 2020 Spring Term. Fiction, nonfiction, and poetry will be represented. We will also celebrate the 12th birthday of WriterHouse, with special readings and presentations. If you've benefited from WriterHouse over the years, please join us for this festive evening. The event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. Bring friends!
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Off-Season NaNoWriMo Meeting
This is a closed meeting of NaNoWriMo organizers facilitated by Jennifer Ehlers.
Find out more »The Storytellers 2020
This is a closed writing group led by members Ingrid Alewine and Marijean Oldham. The group members are alumni of Jay Kauffmann's Creative Nonfiction courses.
Find out more »July 2020
Write On! Session I: 6th – 8th Grade Writing Workshop
Instructor: Erin James Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 6, 2020 - July 10, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM During this week, young writers will explore the craft and fun of creative writing through a variety of prompts, journaling, music, brainstorming, people-watching, and visits to nearby inspiring locations. Modes of expression and experimentation will include poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and more! Throughout the week, we will learn about and participate…
Find out more »Write On! Session I: 6th – 8th Grade, The World and the Word, Part I
Instructor: Taylor Blackburn Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 6, 2020 - July 10, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM “The real voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” -Marcel Proust In this workshop geared toward middle school writers, we will ban the blank page, filling it with the language of our experiences. We will explore the process of writing and find…
Find out more »Write On! Session I: 9th – 12th Grade, Advanced Novelists Workshop
Instructor: Hannah Barnaby Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 6, 2020 - July 10, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM You already know that you love to write -- now you just need the tools to expand your story into a full novel! Great writing is equal parts passion and skill. This summer camp session is designed to help you find that balance. We'll spend the week focused on…
Find out more »Write On! Session II: 6th – 8th Grade, The World and the Word, Part II
Instructor: Taylor Blackburn Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 13, 2020 - July 17, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM "The best word shakers were the ones who understood the true power of words. They were the ones who could climb the highest." -Markus Zusak This workshop for middle school writers will focus on the power of the word. We will make language and word-play the inspiration for…
Find out more »Write On! Session II: 6th – 8th Grade, Fiction & Creative Nonfiction, The Art of the Senses
Instructor: Peyton Tochterman Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 13, 2020 - July 17, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM Hone your skills in either fiction or creative non-fiction as we focus on the senses and utilize our senses to enhance our writing. We will become detectives of not just human behavior, but also the English language as we analyze short stories, set out on daily excursions around…
Find out more »Write On! Session II: 9th – 12th Grade, Poetry as a Witness
Instructor: Thomas Warren Cost: $210 on or before 3/27/20, $225 on or before 4/24/20, $240 after 4/24/20 Monday – Friday | July 13, 2020 - July 17, 2020 | 1:00 PM-5:00 PM In a week-long summer camp for high school students for four hours a day, young writers will explore what it means to be a witness. As it is hard to witness much in the confines of a classroom, the first four days will include walking field trips. With…
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