Jan
6
to Jan 27
Filtering by: CLASS
Nov
11
to Dec 16
One Story Advanced Fiction Workshop with Rachel Lyon
In this six-week online workshop, author Rachel Lyon (Self-Portrait with Boy, Fruit of the Dead) will guide students through the sometimes mechanical, often mysterious process of writing fiction. Each student should plan to workshop one complete story or novel excerpt, and offer constructive feedback weekly on others’ work.
Short lectures and class discussions will focus on specific aspects of craft, including story structure, dialogue, beginnings and endings, scene and exposition, character and setting. Brief in-class exercises will make practice of creative alchemy, transforming theory into practice, living into narrative art.
This class is limited to 10 students and is designed for writers with workshop experience. Tuition includes a 30-minute meeting with the instructor. Applications are now open. The deadline to apply for the workshop is Wednesday, October 2 at 11:59pm ET.
Oct
18
8:00 AM08:00
Oct
16
8:00 AM08:00
Aug
21
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Aug
14
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Aug
7
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jul
31
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jul
24
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jul
17
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class (Copy)
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jul
10
6:30 PM18:30
Free Drop-In Creative Writing Class
From July 10 to August 21, Belding Memorial Library in Ashfield, MA, will host a free community writing class, Wednesdays from 6:30-8PM. Author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Jun
2
12:00 PM12:00
The Write Time Workshop
A combination writing workshop and guest lecture co-hosted by Grace Bialecki and Matt Jones, This workshop encourages participants to share their writing and discuss ways to improve their own, as well as participants’ work. Each workshop starts out with a writing exercise or guest speaker who shares writing advice –– be it on craft, process or the business of writing for no more than thirty minutes. By emphasizing open exchange and exploration, the workshop inspires attendees to develop their own writing practice. This month’s guest is Rachel Lyon.
Mar
15
6:00 PM18:00
Pioneer Valley Writers Workshop March Community Reading with Rachel Lyon
Join a Community Reading / Word Share with PVWW students, instructors, community members, to share recent writing or read a favorite poem, passage, or other text. Reading order and signup will happen in the first ten minutes of the gathering. Featured final reader: Rachel Lyon, author of two novels (Fruit of the Dead and Self-Portrait with Boy). Register and find more information at https://www.pioneervalleywriters.org/service-page/march-community-reading-with-rachel-lyon.
Jul
23
to Jul 30
One Story Summer Writers Conference
Thirty-two conference participants, four intimate eight-student workshops. For more information, go to https://one-story.com/learn/summer-conference.
Jun
7
to Jul 12
Creative Writing Workshop at Belding Memorial Library
At this free community writing class on Wednesdays from 6:30-8 PM, Rachel Lyon will lead the class in guided exercises; conduct short lessons on craft; and offer in-class guidance and feedback on works-in-progress. The class is open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all 6 weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Oct
27
to Dec 8
Thursday Evening Online Fiction Workshop with One Story
In this six-week, 10-person online workshop, author Rachel Lyon (Self-Portrait with Boy) will guide students through the sometimes mechanical, often mysterious process of writing a short story. Brief in-class exercises will get your creative juices flowing. Workshop discussions will focus on specific aspects of craft, such as structure, dialogue, beginnings and endings, scene and exposition, character development, and more. Each student should plan to workshop one complete story or novel excerpt, and to offer constructive feedback weekly on others’ work.
The class will meet and discuss student work once a week on Zoom starting Thursday, October 27th. Tuition includes a 30-minute independent meeting with the instructor.
May
2
to Jun 27
Drop-in Creative Writing Workshop
The Belding Memorial Library hosts a free community writing class every Monday from 6-8 PM through the end of June, taught by author and creative writing instructor Rachel Lyon. The class will consist of guided exercises, short lessons on craft, and in-class feedback on works-in-progress. Open to writers of all experience levels. Join for all eight weeks, or just drop in once or twice, to get a feel for things! This program is supported in part by a grant from the Ashfield Cultural Council, a local agency, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Apr
16
1:00 PM13:00
Publishing Short Fiction in Literary Magazines
This informational class with former West Branch associate editor and PVWW Founder-Director Joy Baglio and author and Epiphany Editor-in-Chief Rachel Lyon (who will join us for two hours as a special guest) will cover everything you need to know related to publishing short stories and flash fiction. We'll talk about the different pathways available for those who wish to publish in literary magazines, the submissions process (including the different kinds of literary magazines out there), what editors care most about, getting your work to stand out in the slush pile, dealing with rejection, and what happens after an acceptance. Writers will have an opportunity to receive feedback (in class) on the first paragraph of a submissions-ready piece. For those new to submitting/publishing short fiction, as well as those who've been submitting for a while who want a deeper look at the process. Come with any and all questions related to these topics. Informational, lecture-based, with Q&A / feedback time. Class size: 15 spots.
Apr
21
to May 26
6-Week Online Fiction Workshop with Catapult: The Practice & Craft of Writing Fiction
In this six-week workshop, we will explore the craft, discipline, and deep mystery of writing fiction. Writing is many things—a communication tool, a way of recording our experience and representing the world around us—but for the purposes of the writer, it is first and foremost a discipline. You will set—and meet—your own artistic expectations. Weekly writing prompts will give you the incentive to get your ass in the proverbial chair, and in-class weekly workshops will hold you accountable—not only to your classmates, but to yourself. We come into workshop for two primary reasons: to get perspective on how other people read our work, and learn how to read ourselves. Each writer will workshop once, and will have the option to meet once with me for an individual conference to discuss their writing goals and progress. Classes will cover structure, character development, the stakes of a story, and more.
This class will meet on Tuesdays from 6-8PM EST over video chat.
Jan
11
1:00 PM13:00
1-Day Dialogue Intensive with Catapult
George Saunders says, “Bad dialogue is when A asks a question and B answers it,” while good dialogue is like two people “firing missiles past each other.” From said-bookisms (the substitution of complicated synonymns for the word “said”) to As-you-know-Bobs (using dialogue for the purpose of redundant expository summary), the perils of dialogue are many—but the opportunities are also infinite. Good dialogue can betray characters’ socioeconomic backgrounds; reveal their conscious desires and unconscious biases; hint at otherwise unspoken nuances in their relationships; and make for plotty, propulsive reading.
Jan
7
to Feb 25
8-Week Writing Sprints with Sackett Street Writers Workshop
Writing Sprints is an exercise-intensive course designed to “unstick” writers struggling to start or continue new projects, boosting writing productivity. The course relies heavily on in-class writing exercises, as well as weekly writing share-outs. Students will be expected to read out loud; participate in in-class writing exercises; and produce approximately 5-8 pages of new writing EACH week for group feedback.
Jul
9
to Aug 13
6-week Fiction III with the Sackett Street Writers Workshop (Tuesdays)
Writers participating in this selective workshop will learn to recognize successful techniques in their fiction–what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. In-class discussions will focus on analyzing student work, particularly the many choices (point-of-view, tone, detail, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. Each writer will have two opportunities to have his or her work critiqued in class (up to 25 pages each time) and will receive typed feedback from both the instructor and his or her classmates. A private conference with the instructor is included. This course is intended for writers who have extensive writing and workshopping experience.
Find more information about Sackett classes at www.sackettworkshop.com/writing.
Jun
24
to Jul 29
May
7
to Jun 11
May
4
11:00 AM11:00
1-Day Novel Structuring Intensive with Catapult
So you're writing a novel. Maybe you've been working on it for a while, or even have hundreds of pages of material—but as any good writer knows, many pages do not, necessarily, a completed novel make. If your story feels unmanageable, you're at the perfect stage to step back, take a bird's-eye view of it, and reevaluate. This one-day novel-structuring intensive is for anyone who has a pretty good sense of—at least—their novel’s beginning, rising action, and climactic moments. (You needn’t have a clear idea of your ending. This class can help with that!)
We'll start by reviewing existing structural forms—e.g. the hero's journey, the love story (both comic and tragic), the bildungsroman. We'll talk about your work, figure out what archetypal narrative tropes you're working with, and use them to help build a strong foundation for your project. We'll discuss chronology: when and how to reveal essential information—and how to determine what information is essential in the first place! Finally, we'll spend some time coming up with our own detailed outlines, which will help us work our novels into a manageable form, going forward.
A student of this course can expect to walk away with a sense of the archetypal story tropes she’s working with; a concrete, detailed, workable outline of her novel; and a clarified, bird’s-eye view of her story.
Feb
23
1:00 PM13:00
1-Day Novel Structuring Intensive with Catapult
So you're writing a novel. Maybe you've been working on it for a while, or even have hundreds of pages of material—but as any good writer knows, many pages do not, necessarily, a completed novel make. If your story feels unmanageable, you're at the perfect stage to step back, take a bird's-eye view of it, and reevaluate. This one-day novel-structuring intensive is for anyone who has a pretty good sense of—at least—their novel’s beginning, rising action, and climactic moments. (You needn’t have a clear idea of your ending. This class can help with that!)
We'll start by reviewing existing structural forms—e.g. the hero's journey, the love story (both comic and tragic), the bildungsroman. We'll talk about your work, figure out what archetypal narrative tropes you're working with, and use them to help build a strong foundation for your project. We'll discuss chronology: when and how to reveal essential information—and how to determine what information is essential in the first place! Finally, we'll spend some time coming up with our own detailed outlines, which will help us work our novels into a manageable form, going forward.
A student of this course can expect to walk away with a sense of the archetypal story tropes she’s working with; a concrete, detailed, workable outline of her novel; and a clarified, bird’s-eye view of her story.
Feb
7
to Mar 14
6-week Writing Sprints: A Generative Class with Sackett Street Writers Workshops (Thursdays)
Writing Sprints is an exercise-intensive course designed to “unstick” writers struggling to start or continue new projects, boosting writing productivity. The course relies heavily on in-class writing exercises, as well as weekly writing share-outs. Students will be expected to read out loud; participate in in-class writing exercises; and produce approximately 5-8 pages of new writing EACH week for group feedback.
Find more information about Sackett classes at www.sackettworkshop.com/writing.
Feb
5
to Mar 12
6-week Fiction III with the Sackett Street Writers Workshop (Tuesdays)
Writers participating in this selective workshop will learn to recognize successful techniques in their fiction–what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. In-class discussions will focus on analyzing student work, particularly the many choices (point-of-view, tone, detail, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. Each writer will have two opportunities to have his or her work critiqued in class (up to 25 pages each time) and will receive typed feedback from both the instructor and his or her classmates. A private conference with the instructor is included. This course is intended for writers who have extensive writing and workshopping experience.
Find more information about Sackett classes at www.sackettworkshop.com/writing.
Dec
16
to Jan 20
Nov
13
to Dec 18
6-week Master Fiction Workshop with the Sackett Street Writers Workshop (Tuesdays)
Writers participating in this course will learn to recognize successful techniques in their fiction–what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. In-class discussions will focus on analyzing student work, particularly the many choices (point-of-view, tone, detail, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. Each writer will have two opportunities to have his or her work critiqued in class (up to 25 pages each time) and will receive typed feedback from both the instructor and his or her classmates. A private conference with the instructor is included. This course is intended for writers who have extensive writing and workshopping experience.
Find more information about Sackett classes at www.sackettworkshop.com/writing.
Oct
8
to Nov 26
8-week Fiction III with the Sackett Street Writers Workshop (Mondays)
Writers participating in this selective workshop will learn to recognize successful techniques in their fiction–what engages the reader, and how that success is achieved. In-class discussions will focus on analyzing student work, particularly the many choices (point-of-view, tone, detail, pacing, etc.) a writer must make concerning structure, character and language. Each writer will have two opportunities to have his or her work critiqued in class (up to 25 pages each time) and will receive typed feedback from both the instructor and his or her classmates. A private conference with the instructor is included. This course is intended for writers who have extensive writing and workshopping experience.
Find more information about Sackett classes at www.sackettworkshop.com/writing.