WriterHouse - Classes

Generative Fiction: 5-Week Motivation and Support Package

Start
April 14, 2025
End
May 16, 2025
Location
Online via Zoom

This support package is only available to previous students of Generative Fiction I, II, III, and IV. The support package will start April 14 and run through May 16. Once you register, you will receive more details from the instructor.
Please note: You can register for the support package whether or not you are also going to register for Generative Fiction V, and you can register for Generative Fiction V without signing up for the support package. If you have specific questions about either, please contact the instructor.

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The Writer's Promise: Gaining Readers' Trust (Kristie Smeltzer)

When
May 03, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Online via Zoom -- instructor will provide link
Spaces left
9

Register

This seminar will meet online for 1 session on Saturday, May 3rd from 1:00-4:00 PM.

Description:

Sometimes what makes or breaks the success of a story is how well a writer sets and manages readers expectations. The first few paragraphs, pages, or chapters of a piece, depending on its length, establish its voice, tone, characters, and structure. Carefully building that foundation helps readers to trust you as the writer.

In this seminar, we'll discuss essential elements that writers need to set up early in their work to gain that reader trust and buy-in, in addition to grabbing their interest. Then we'll read some examples of published work to analyze how the writers' choices affect the readers' experience. Finally, we'll have time for participants to do activities with their own writing to identify existing strengths in terms of their promises to readers as well as identifying opportunities for additions and changes.

Both fiction and creative nonfiction writers will benefit from participating in this seminar. Those of any skill level are welcome to participate but having at least a basic understanding of story structure and essential story components will help participants get the most out of the seminar.

About the Instructor:

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, pioneertown, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. WriterHouse members get a 5% discount on Kristie’s services. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.

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Generative Fiction V

Start
May 07, 2025
6:30 PM
End
June 25, 2025
8:30 PM
Location
Online
Spaces left
2

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This class session is open to previous participants of Generative Fiction I, II, III, and IV. Previous participants will receive a registration code to complete registration and payment.

Generative Fiction V will take place online via Zoom. You will receive your link and other information directly from the instructor.

Class will start 5/7/25 and run through 6/25/25, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.

A minimum of 4 people is required.

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Writing Diverse Characters Responsibly (Andi Cumbo-Floyd)

Start
May 10, 2025
End
May 17, 2025
Schedule
2 sessions
Location
WriterHouse
Spaces left
3

Register

This seminar will meet in person for 2 sessions on Saturdays, May 10 and May 17th from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.

Description:

The writing adage is to write what you know, but if we, as writers, only write about our own experience, are we limiting ourselves and our readers to a world that is too monochromatic? In this seminar, we’ll discuss the challenges of writing “the other” as well as our ethical and social responsibilities when doing so. We’ll talk about strategies and processes to help us be responsible and compassionate writers as well as what the limits might be for writing in the experience of a person who differs from us in ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or economic class. Participants will walk away from the course with a clear and personalized sense of what is available to them and what territories of experience they feel uncomfortable exploring.

About the Instructor:

Andi Cumbo-Floyd is a former creative writing professor, a professional editor, and a publisher who is the author of over 30 books that each incorporate real-life places, people, and events in their pages. She writes cozy mysteries, romantic comedies, YA fantasy, and creative nonfiction and holds and MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University. She has taught at Santa Clara University, Stevenson University, and George Mason University. When she’s not writing, she and her young son name his toys odd things like “Blech-agh-bah” and try to figure out Lego Fortnite together. She lives in Crozet.

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New Ways to Tell Old Stories: Poems About Families (Margaret Mackinnon)

When
May 10, 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Location
WriterHouse
Spaces left
4

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This seminar will meet in person for 1 session on Saturday, May 10 from 1:30 -5:30 PM.

Description:

Families are the focus of countless poems by American writers, from Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays” to Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy.” In this one-day seminar, we will look at poems by contemporary writers who take new and interesting approaches to this familiar subject. In reflecting on what makes a successful poem, Robert Frost observed, “No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.” The poets whose work we’ll explore all look at family stories in surprising ways. Members of the class will be encouraged to use some of these poems as inspiration for their own work. Our time together will be spent reading and discussing these model poems, along with pieces contributed by those in the seminar.

About the Instructor:

Margaret Mackinnon is the author of two collections of poetry, The Invented Child (Silverfish Review Press 2013), winner of the 2014 Literary Award in Poetry from the Library of Virginia, and Afternoon in Cartago (Ashland Poetry Press 2022), winner of the Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize. Her work has appeared in The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Image, Poetry, Blackbird, and other journals. She attended Vassar College and the University of North Carolina, and she received her MFA in poetry from the University of Florida. She lives with her family in Richmond.

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Writing for Kids 101 (Tina Tocco)

Start
June 03, 2025
End
July 08, 2025
Schedule
6 sessions
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
12

Register

This class will meet online for six sessions starting, Tuesday, June 3 from 1:00 to 3:30 PM.

Description:

Have you always wanted to write stories for kids, but never knew where to start? This class will let you get your feet wet in this fun genre. Don’t be nervous about sparking your creativity! We’ll use weekly in-class prompts — everything from starter sentences to images, magical objects to inanimate objects — to help you generate new work in every session. In addition, you’ll receive (completely optional) take-home exercises to keep you writing during the week. Expect to write to at least one prompt in every class and to comment on your classmates’ pieces. Since this workshop is generative, we’ll stick to positive feedback and optional sharing to keep everyone’s experience relaxed and fun. Come explore the children’s writing genre while generating the beginnings of multiple stories (maybe even some you’d like to build on). We'll even read published children's stories or novel excerpts, as time permits. New writers and writers new to the children’s genre are welcome. This class is geared towards writing for middle grade (ages 8-12) and young adult (ages 13-18).

About the Instructor:

Tina Tocco is a Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review, River Styx, Crab Creek Review, Roanoke Review, Hobart, Passages North, Potomac Review, Portland Review, Harpur Palate, and Italian Americana, among others. Tina’s writing has also been featured in various anthologies, including The Best Small Fictions 2019 (Sonder Press, 2019), Best Nonfiction Food (Woodhall Press, 2020), and The Haunted States of America (SCBWI-Henry Holt, 2024). A recipient of multiple awards, Tina was a finalist in CALYX’s Flash Fiction Contest and longlisted in The SmokeLong Quarterly Grand Micro Competition. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Manhattanville University, where she was editor-in-chief of Inkwell, the university’s national literary journal.

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Novel Knockout Camp (Kristie Smeltzer)

Start
June 03, 2025
End
July 22, 2025
Schedule
8 sessions
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
7

Register

This class will meet online for 8 sessions starting Tuesday, June 3, from 6:30 – 8:30 PM.

Description:

Are you ready to turn the heat up on your novel this summer? Join this class to set personal writing goals, learn about novel writing-related topics, get feedback on your work, and make real progress writing or revising your book.

Class participants will meet with Kristie one-on-one early on to talk about their novel and set goals for what they will accomplish during the class. Sessions will include topics and activities related to novel writing, such as evaluating concepts, avoiding common pitfalls, and analyzing successful novels comparable to our own. Participants will have the opportunity to workshop two or more chapters of their work in progress. Near the class’s conclusion, writers will meet with Kristie again to revisit their goals and plan to sustain momentum going forward. NOTE: Students taking this class will receive a 20% discount if they elect to take Kristie’s, seminar on writing page-turning chapters, which is viewed as an excellent companion seminar to the novel camp.

This class is a good fit for novelists with a partial or full draft as well as those starting out, if writers will be able to complete a couple chapters during the eight weeks.

About the Instructor:

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.

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Finding the Time To Write (Andi Cumbo-Floyd)

When
June 07, 2025
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location
WriterHouse
Spaces left
10

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This seminar will meet in person at WriterHouse for one session on Saturday, June 7 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.

Description:

Does your time for writing always seem to be a low priority? Or something you procrastinate? In this three-hour seminar we will discuss tried and true methods to help you get to the page regularly and in a manner that fits with your life as it is now. We’ll talk about mindset, do exercises, and even make plans to help you put your words on the page sustainably and authentically. No prescriptive, one-size-fits-all advice here. Just practical considerations to help you find and keep the time for your creative work.

About the Instructor:

Andi Cumbo-Floyd is a former creative writing professor, a professional editor, and a publisher who is the author of over 30 books that each incorporate real-life places, people, and events in their pages. She writes cozy mysteries, romantic comedies, YA fantasy, and creative nonfiction and holds and MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Antioch University. She has taught at Santa Clara University, Stevenson University, and George Mason University. When she’s not writing, she and her young son name his toys odd things like “Blech-agh-bah” and try to figure out Lego Fortnite together. She lives in Crozet.

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Creating and Working Off Outlines in Fiction (Holly Day)

When
June 14, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
10

Register

This seminar will meet online for one session on June 14 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Description:

Have you ever had a great idea for a short story but had no idea how to get started or how to reach the end? In this workshop, we’ll cover:

Creating outlines for your stories, and how outlining can banish writer’s block
How to use an outline to guide your writing and not constrain it
How character and setting change a story
Following outlines from beginning to end
Staying organized and motivated

We’ll also do a couple of writing exercises in class using basic short story structure and some of the outlining practices we’ll cover in class and share what we’ve written to see how each unique writer has interpreted the outline presented.

About the Instructor:

Holly Day has worked as a freelance writer for over 35 years, with over 7,000 published articles, poems, and short stories and 40 books and chapbooks—most recently, the nonfiction books, Music Theory for Dummies, Music Composition for Dummies, Tattoo FAQ, and History Lover’s Guide to Minneapolis; and the poetry books, A Book of Beasts (Weasel Press), The Tooth is the Largest Organ in the Human Body (Anaphora Press), Bound in Ice (Shanti Arts Publishing), and Cross-Referencing a Book of Summer (Silver Bow Publishing). Her writing has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, a 49th Parallel Prize, an Isaac Asimov Award, multiple Pushcart awards, and a Rhysling Award, and she has received two Midwest Writer’s Grants, a Plainsongs Award, the Sam Ragan Prize for Poetry, and the Dwarf Star Award from the Science Fiction Poetry Association. She currently works as a freelance content writer for Hunter & Bard and as a writing instructor at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and the Richard Hugo House in Seattle.

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Short and Sweet: Structure in Short Nonfiction (Tod Olson)

When
June 21, 2025
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
9

Register

This seminar will meet online for one session on Saturday, June 21 from 10 AM to 1 PM.

Description:

Everyone has a great personal story to tell, but how do you tell it well? What’s the heart of the story? What makes a good lead? A good ending? What’s the through-line? We’ll discuss some general principles, then take apart a couple of short narrative essays (yes, a little bit of pre-reading) to see how they work. Bring your own work in progress—a short essay, a chapter of a memoir, or just the germ of an idea. During the second half of class we’ll apply what we’ve talked about to your work. The class is designed to give writers of any level of experience some tools to create well-crafted personal essays or memoir chapters.

Instructor Bio:

Tod Olson is author of award-winning narrative nonfiction for middle-grade and young adult readers, including Into the Clouds: The Race to Climb the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain, the narrative nonfiction series LOST, and the historical fiction series How to Get Rich. He has traveled the country to report on the school shooting at Columbine, the murder of Matthew Shepard, drunk driving accidents, homeless kids, and other only slightly more uplifting topics. He has 30 years of experience as an editor and book developer for the education and school/library markets, and as a writer for Scholastic’s classroom magazines. He holds an MFA from Vermont College of the Fine Arts.

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How to Write Page-turning Novel Chapters (Kristie Smeltzer)

When
June 21, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
10

Register

This seminar will meet online for one session on June 21 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Description:

Chapters can be tricky to write effectively. They must feel like a complete unit—satisfying in their own right—while also building towards the whole story. They’ve got to answer some reader questions while inspiring new ones, keeping folks reading after bedtime.

In this seminar, we’ll discuss the different types of work that chapters can do. We’ll explore chapter structure and techniques to infuse chapters with both character and plot development. We’ll also discuss how genre norms inform chapter expectations in fiction. If you’re ready to progress past episodic chapters to tautly written tension builders, this seminar’s for you.

Participants will leave with greater confidence in their ability to write page-turning chapters. Fiction writers will get the most out of this seminar, but creative nonfiction writers (primarily memoirists) may also benefit from participating.

About the Instructor:

Kristie Smeltzer's fiction has been published by Scribes*MICRO*Fiction, MonkeyBicycle, Atticus Review, and others. She is currently working on several novels. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of Central Florida. Kristie has taught at WriterHouse since 2016, and her students have gone on to publish their work in literary magazines, with small presses, and through large publishing houses. She also helps others tell their stories as a developmental editor and writing coach. Learn more at www.kristiesmeltzer.com.

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Creating and Developing Believable Characters (Holly Day)

When
June 28, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Online — Instructor will provide Zoom link
Spaces left
10

Register

This seminar will meet online for one session on Saturday, June 28 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Description:

Having strong and believable characters is the difference between writing a story that stays flat on the page and one that comes alive in your readers’ heads. In this fun- fast-paced workshop, we’ll cover:

How to generate random characters when you’re blocked
How to build a believable setting around your character
How genre and setting influence character development
How to introduce a character’s background and priorities seamlessly
Staying organized and motivated

We’ll also do some in-class writing exercises using the techniques we’ll cover and share what we’ve written in class. There will be time for questions and discussion throughout and again at the end. Post-seminar, the instructor will also take up to 5 single-spaced emailed pages per student for in-depth feedback and critique.

About the Instructor:

Holly Day has worked as a freelance writer for over 35 years, with over 7,000 published articles, poems, and short stories and 40 books and chapbooks—most recently, the nonfiction books, Music Theory for Dummies, Music Composition for Dummies, Tattoo FAQ, and History Lover’s Guide to Minneapolis; and the poetry books, A Book of Beasts (Weasel Press), The Tooth is the Largest Organ in the Human Body (Anaphora Press), Bound in Ice (Shanti Arts Publishing), and Cross-Referencing a Book of Summer (Silver Bow Publishing). Her writing has been nominated for a National Magazine Award, a 49th Parallel Prize, an Isaac Asimov Award, multiple Pushcart awards, and a Rhysling Award, and she has received two Midwest Writer’s Grants, a Plainsongs Award, the Sam Ragan Prize for Poetry, and the Dwarf Star Award from the Science Fiction Poetry Association. She currently works as a freelance content writer for Hunter & Bard and as a writing instructor at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and the Richard Hugo House in Seattle.

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Write On! Summer Camps for Young Writers

Start
July 14, 2025
11:00 AM
End
July 25, 2025
3:00 PM
Location
WriterHouse

Register

Description:

Session 1: Rising 6th to Rising 8th Grade Students

July 14 — July 18
11 AM to 3 PM

Session 2: Rising 9th to Rising 12th Grade Students

July 21 — July 25
11 AM to 3 PM

Unleash your creativity in this week-long writing workshop! You will have the freedom to write what you want (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, songs!) while also learning specific tools and techniques that are crucial to all types of writing. We will explore and discuss a variety of writing across genres, and use prompts and exercises to help you dive into your writing. We will also engage in activities around town to spark inspiration and creativity. Throughout the week you will have the opportunity to share ideas, work on something new or a work-in-progress, get feedback, and refine your work. Join us on this writing adventure!

Register online or send a check to WriterHouse, PO Box 222, Charlottesville, VA. Please complete and return the permission slip as campers will not be able to participate without it.

About the Instructor:

Erin has taught English and Creative Writing for over a decade and received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University in 2024.

In addition to working with students at WriterHouse for the past ten years, she has been a judge for the Writer‘s Eye Creative Writing Contest hosted by the University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art. She has also been a student and teacher-counselor at UVA’s Young Writers Workshop. She has attended two week-long workshops for Teachers as Writers at Bard College’s Institute for Writing and Thinking in 2014 and 2016 and received an author fellowship to attend the Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing in 2021. Before she began teaching, she studied Journalism and English at New York University and received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Virginia. In addition to writing, Erin loves reading, hiking, practicing and teaching yoga, cooking, being outside, traveling, and spending time with her sons Noah and Jacob, and friends.

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Making it New: Poems in Response to Myth and History (Margaret Mackinnon)

When
July 19, 2025
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
WriterHouse
Spaces left
11

Register

This seminar will meet in-person at WriterHouse for one session on Saturday, July 19 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

Description:

As Ezra Pound urges, writers are always called to “make it new.” Some writers have discovered what is “new" by looking at what is old, creating poems based on characters from myth or history. At times, such poems can be a way to speak of deeply personal concerns without resorting to a confessional mode. Elizabeth Bishop, for example, never wrote directly about her struggles with alcohol, but her poem based on the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son seems to reflect her own experience. Other writers, like Tracy K. Smith and Eavan Boland, use little-known individuals from the past to show how parts of our history are overlooked. Carol Ann Duffy, drawing on the myth of King Midas, creates an imaginary “Mrs. Midas” who speaks about the layered complexity of a marriage. Is there a character, either real or fictional, who reflects some aspect of your own experience? Some person whose narrative mirrors your own? In this one-day seminar, we will look at poems by other writers that address this theme, and we’ll also discuss poems written by members of the group.

About the Instructor:

Margaret Mackinnon is the author of two collections of poetry, The Invented Child (Silverfish Review Press 2013), winner of the 2014 Literary Award in Poetry from the Library of Virginia, and Afternoon in Cartago (Ashland Poetry Press 2022), winner of the Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize. Her work has appeared in The Hampden-Sydney PoetryReview, Image, Poetry, Blackbird, and other journals. She attended Vassar College and the University of North Carolina, and she received her MFA in poetry from the University of Florida. She lives with her family in Richmond.

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